# When at home, do you have fixed "coffee break moments"with family/ housemates? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 6, 2019, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544 "2019-05-06T09:21:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/1 "2019-05-06T09:21:44Z")
When I was a kid, I often stayed with a friend of mine. Her parents were like the parents from “Leave it to Beaver”. Every weekend morning, there was a bell and coffee (tea for kids) at 11 AM was served in the living room. Everyone stopped what they were doing, came to the living room, had coffee together, exchanged stories, exchanged and coordinated plans for the rest of the day, and 20 minute later everyone went back to what they were doing, untill lunch. I’m thinking of re-installing that when I’m home with my son. Maybe it is a good way to schedule “talk-time” so we can both be uninterrupted at other times. Maybe it also works to plan chores around breaks. I have kinda ADHD so I thought breaks at a set time would just distract any flow I managed to build up. But maybe it could be a habit that promotes flow? Do you have fixed coffee/tea braks with your family? Experiences welcome. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/2 "2019-05-06T10:30:50Z")
I’ve never heard of such a thing, so no, I’ve never thought about it. Now that I think back, the only time in my life I ever had a fixed break was in my first job - all us non-management folks got 15 minutes mid-morning. Tho when I was a kid, the family almost always sat down to dinner together shortly after Dad got home from work. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/3 "2019-05-06T14:16:51Z")
Never heard of such a thing although I do remember it from television. We were always so busy and on different schedules that I don’t know how something like that would have worked for us. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/4 "2019-05-06T14:23:06Z")
Meals were always together, including the mid-morning and mid-afternoon sandwiches, but other than that no. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/5 "2019-05-06T14:34:10Z")
Never heard of that! We had dinner together (we called it supper) every night though. Also, my grandpa that came from Italy would always have what he called coffee saltina before bed around 9:00-10:00. This will sound weird - he would mush up saltine crackers in a mug of coffee and eat it with a spoon. So whenever we’d go to the cabin, we would all gather before bed and have our version of coffee saltina; coffee and donuts, bismarcks, cinnamon rolls, etc. What a time to eat that stuff! But it became a tradition that still lives on. If we go to the cabin, we always make sure we bring something for coffee saltina! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/6 "2019-05-06T14:37:29Z")
We call that kind of thing _sopas (de leche)_ in Spain, soup where the “broth” is milk. No idea why any other soup gets the singular _sopa_ but the milky ones are plural. And yes, they’re still called _sopas de leche_ if the milk is chocolate milk or coffee. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/7 "2019-05-06T14:55:26Z")
I live alone now, but my initial reaction is “no thank you”. People have different plans, and those plans may (often) take them out of the house. Trying to schedule weekend plans around a stop _back_ to the house for a mandated coffee break seems silly to me. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/8 "2019-05-06T14:56:30Z")
We have tea after dinner every evening. But we don’t break our day for it, or meet up, like on a schedule. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/9 "2019-05-06T15:03:56Z")
This is a fascinating topic. I’m curious about this part - the (possibly) deceptive passive voice strikes again. Who made this event happen? > [@Maastricht](#): > > …Every weekend morning, there was a bell and coffee (tea for kids) at 11 AM was served in the living room. … _“There was a bell and coffee…”_ Who rang the bell? Mom? Housekeeper? Oldest daughter? _[Coffee] “was served in the living room…”_ Who served it? (Serious question.) Just from reading your post, it sounds like there was live-in help. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/10 "2019-05-06T15:07:41Z")
My family ate meals together, but that was it. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/11 "2019-05-06T15:21:09Z")
I’ve heard Brits call this “elevenses.” I can’t imagine doing this outside of a workplace with strict break times. We Americans typically drink coffee and snack at will. If you’re trying to structure your day more and avoid snacking, creating the ritual at a set time sounds like a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/12 "2019-05-06T15:31:35Z")
Why would I even be awake at 11 am on a weekend? ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/13 "2019-05-06T16:09:04Z")
**ThelmaLou** , no servants ! Mom would ring a bell and put a tray with coffee and teapots, mugs and cookies on the living room table. Many coffee commercials of the time played this idea up. I can’t find them on Youtube, but [here’s one from the 80’s,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO9rEVjcdyU)from a series of commercials that suggest that when you make coffee, all people in the vincinity will gather round and “gezelligheid” will ensue. Coffee at eleven and tea at four is still very much a tradition in Dutch institutions and care facilties, where such are moments are used to “break the day”. Up untill 15 years ago it was still a tradition ins most offices, where a coffee lady came with a cart of coffee at 11 AM or 4 PM. We’ve got coffee machines like the rest of the civilised world now. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/14 "2019-05-06T16:10:42Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Why would I even be awake at 11 am on a weekend? Brunch? > [@MoonMoon](#): > > Trying to schedule weekend plans around a stop _back_ to the house for a mandated coffee break seems silly to me. It was only for the people in the house at that moment. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/15 "2019-05-06T16:22:03Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > **ThelmaLou** , no servants ! Mom would ring a bell and put a tray with coffee and teapots, mugs and cookies on the living room table. Many coffee commercials of the time played this idea up. I can’t find them on Youtube, but [here’s one from the 80’s,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO9rEVjcdyU)from a series of commercials that suggest that when you make coffee, all people in the vincinity will gather round and “gezelligheid” will ensue. > > Coffee at eleven and tea at four is still very much a tradition in Dutch institutions and care facilties, where such are moments are used to “break the day”. Up untill 15 years ago it was still a tradition ins most offices, where a coffee lady came with a cart of coffee at 11 AM or 4 PM. We’ve got coffee machines like the rest of the civilised world now. I love this. 🙂 Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/16 "2019-05-06T22:44:08Z")
No. If we want to have tea/coffee together we will go out to a cafe. We will sometimes have dinner around the table but will often just eat casually. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/17 "2019-05-06T23:02:45Z")
We had scheduled mealtimes (rigidly scheduled mealtimes; my dad is a pocketwatch), and when I was a child I think there was a scheduled snacktime. But nobody drank tea or coffee at these events, so yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/18 "2019-05-07T03:26:33Z")
This is crazy talk. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/19 "2019-05-07T03:37:51Z")
> [@Chicken\_Fingers](#): > > I’ve heard Brits call this “elevenses.” I can’t imagine doing this outside of a workplace with strict break times. We Americans typically drink coffee and snack at will. If you’re trying to structure your day more and avoid snacking, creating the ritual at a set time sounds like a good idea. Yes, I’ve read this. I want to do it. Maybe I’ll start. I love the name ‘elevenses’ ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2019, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544/20 "2019-05-07T04:28:25Z")
Wow, I feel alone. Maybe not tea or coffee, but appetizers, snacks, and cocktails. The kids don’t have cocktails of course, but we do require them to hang with us. We do this every week or two, more in the summer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-at-home-do-you-have-fixed-coffee-break-moments-with-family-housemates/833544.md?page=2)