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making decisions, and probably best avoided by anyone who can't
make decisions early in the morning. It may seem simple enough to
order eggs and bacon, but in America, it's not quite that
straightforward. Eggs can be scrambled, fried, over easy, sunnyside
up, poached, soft-boiled, or any other number of variations. Then
there's the matter of bread-white, whole-wheat, rye, bagel, muffin,
tortilla.
Americans think they are not getting what they pay for unless
they get huge amounts of food. So be warned: it is easy to order too
much. This is where the doggy bag comes in - many people ask for
any leftover food to be wrapped up or boxed so they can take it
away to finish later. This is not only normal, it's expected!
Generally, though, Americans leave a big breakfast, or a big
brunch, for the weekend, while weekday breakfasts are usually
quick and informal, consisting of coffee, juice, and cereal or a
muffin or other type of bread. Lunch, too, is quick, with
sandwiches, soups, and salads being popular choices.
Dinner is the main meal of the day. Most people eat dinner
fairly early, between about five o'clock and seven o'clock in the
evening, but this can be later in big cities or when people are dining
out. Dinner usually means the evening meal, but it is also used for
the main meal of the day. Supper is always an evening meal and
usually means an evening meal you eat at home. It is also used to
mean a lighter evening meal if you ate a very large dinner at
lunchtime, especially on Sundays, when the main meal is often at
midday.

BUSINESS MEALS

Americans often schedule business meetings during meals.
They do not wait until after the meal to discuss business: time is
important, and it is not rude to talk about business during a meal.
Breakfast meetings are scheduled early and do not last much more
than an hour. Lunch is rarely more than one-and-a-half to two
hours, and most Americans do not drink alcoholic beverages with
their midday meal. Evening meals or events tend to be more social,
and having a few drinks is acceptable, but they also can end fairly
early, since most people consider their personal time very
important.