S/O - Drinking with meals

We have water or ice tea with meals.

When in college many moons ago, I was a Home Economics major and we were required to take a meal management course. It was taught that for formal meals you server wine or water. The professor said that since this was Texas though, ice tea would be acceptable. But as I said it was formal meals that were being discussed. We don't do many formal meals here in Texas. Family events and get-togethers that involve a meal are rarely formal. They are more than likely to be BarBeQues.

With meals at home I will drink either milk, or water. When we go out to eat I will have either a pop, wine, or mixed drink before the meal, but drink water with the meal. I'm in MN

I drink water with meals, DH usually has milk, sometimes iced tea or water. Holiday meals we have soda (cranberry gingerale often) served in wine glasses - we're classy like that, lol. I live in Florida.

We probably buy one or two sixpacks of beer in a year - and I cook with some of it. Wine? We had gluhwein at Christmas - and I think I tossed half of it in the end.

Growing up in the 70s/80s - my parents had wine with just about every dinner. Beer if it was a cookout or picnic. Dinner parties always started with cocktails, had wine with the meal, and finished with coffee (sometimes Irish coffee). My mum usually had some sort of frou frou drink in afternoon - Mudside or a Daiquiri or something fruity with alcohol. Her summer refreshment was a shandy or a wine cooler (wine mixed with club soda). Dad always had a beer after work. Both my parents generally had a nightcap before bed as well. And weekend brunches usually had bloody marys or mimosas. My Dad was British, my mum was American (of Irish descent -from New England) - we lived overseas and then in New England.

When I travel in Europe, I notice how much people drink — with moderation — but some kind of alcohol, often wine, with every meal. I certainly build up a tolerance on vacation by doing the same, ha.

In general, though, I don’t like drinking with a meal, though I enjoy it before or after. Drinking makes me full and I’d rather fill my stomach with tasty food. But there are some great food and alcohol pairings that I miss out on.

I rarely drink alcohol.

I only have drinks with dinner when we eat out and not all of the time. It’ll depend on my mood and if I’m driving.

I drink water only with meals. The only other thing I drink is coffee and that isn’t usually with food.

DH has a glass of fruited water, I drink nothing. Occasionally, maybe a couple of times a month, he'll have a glass of wine. I drink water throughout the day but not with meals.

I know my family in Europe always has wine with the main meal of the day. I do as well when I am there,

Same here, I don’t drink any alcohol at all. I did in my early 20’s, but if I’m being honest I don’t ever like feeling out of control plus I’m cheap. Why would I spend $5-7 on a beer when a glass of pop is $2? And now, why would I spend $2 on a pop when water is free and better for you? I drink water now almost exclusively, only on a rare occasion I’ll splurge on a lemonade but only if it’s REAL lemonade and not that nasty fake Minute Maid crap from the fountain.

BUT!!! OMG. We have friends from our cabin in WI exactly like that too where EVERY single FB photo is of them with a drink or a beer or a glass of wine in hand. Literally every photo. DH has said more than once, “don’t they have anything better to do?”

I disagree because I personally know quite a few people who drink like that every single day. We had relatives that did that too (and they were definitely alcoholics). Our neighbor’s nephew at the lake was there for a couple weeks with his wife, just the two of them. Supposedly they came here to “social distance” because there was more Covid in the larger city they live in, and they could work remotely from the lake so why not. We were here working on our landscaping when they came to open the place up. Between the two of them, they easily could fill up a large trash can with empties from beer, hard cider or hard seltzer in a week or maybe even less than that, and that was just what they were drinking at home. DH saw it.

They also took the pontoon out every day for lunch and dinner and I’m sure they drink when they go out too. No company was coming over to visit, it was just them. I’ve never once seen either of them with a can of pop or plain bottled water in hand. I couldn’t believe how much the two of them can drink, and our other neighbors down the way do the same. The dad in that family can kill off most of a 24 pack by himself in a weekend. It’s mind boggling to us.

My parents both grew up in Austria so I guess had more of a European attitude to alcohol where having an alcoholic drink with lunch or dinner is probably the norm! Generally I'd only have a glass of wine with dinner on a Friday or Saturday night. Other than that I drink a lot of water. If I had a pre-dinner gin and tonic or something similar, then I wouldn't have anything else alcoholic that evening.

Water always. Occasionally I will have wine with a meal. I may open a bottle of wine once every 2 or 3 months.

In normal times I will have one pre dinner glass of wine maybe 3 or 4 nights a week. Usually thatt’s enough to last the duration of the meal. Other than that I have water or squash with my evening meal. Certainly I will have wine if we’re eating out. It’s very much the norm - I’m in the UK.