"... an artfully arranged pile of snacks that, when consumed in high enough volume, constitutes a meal. Or so the thinking goes.
Typical girl dinners may include some kind of fruit, a block of cheddar, sliced salami, a sleeve of fancy crackers and a dish of olives. Girl dinner is 'both chaotic and filling,' as one TikTok commenter put it, requiring none of the forethought, cooking or plating demanded by an actual meal. As another commenter observed: It’s 'no preparation just vibes.'"
This sounds like the dinner my mother would make for the kids when my father away on a business trip. It had a name, and it certainly wasn't "girl dinner." It was "cold plate."
The article quotes some people who call "girl dinner" an eating disorder, which strikes me as crazy. Why wouldn't cheese and crackers and fruit be regarded as a perfectly ordinary end-of-the-day meal? It's an alternative to skipping dinner, which is an equally good idea.
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This isn't new or a trend. Women have (since forever) eaten small portions of high-density foods, and gorged on them as possible or desired. It has something to do with our hunter-gatherer history coupled with the male/female division of labor and child feeding.
Girrrrl powr! "Look how clever I am. I invented charcuterie all by myself!"
All of this could be distilled to a much simpler "Zillenial women can't cook". Film at 11.
How about a nice bowl of cold cereal for dinner? I think there's even a 'Seinfeld' episode about that!
So I eat "girl dinners". OK…
I used to eat like that when I played the casinos. Gouda cheese, fresh fruit, a little wine, sleep.
Main meal was about 6pm.
"Why wouldn't cheese and crackers and fruit be regarded as a perfectly ordinary end-of-the-day meal?"
Well, because it's not ordinary, and therefore not perfectly ordinary.
"It's an alternative to skipping dinner, which is an equally good idea."
I realize that, on a strict Althousian reading, "equally good" need not mean actually good, but: what's "good" about the idea as such? What you eat is more important than when. Whether skipping makes sense just depends on what else you do.
It sounds like the urban/suburban version of a ploughman's lunch.
"How about a nice bowl of cold cereal for dinner?"
Used to. Can't anymore. Too big a bolus of carbs.
I'm not seeing any veggies in there, but otherwise it sounds like a simple unsatisfying meal. "Girl Dinners" is the latest in a long line of "trends" that have been around for ages but are repackaged as something hip and new to goose sales or allow a secdon-rate journalist to crank out a lazy 500 words.
Need to add cantaloupe slices wrapped in prosciutto. And a six pack of Bud Light.
Looks delicious to me, especially on a hot summer day. Throw in a couple of cold beers or some chilled white wine, and I'm all in.
The cold plate your mother (and mine) would make was a night-off meal. Dad was away and she could have a holiday from dinner. We always liked it, certainly much better than the overdone meat-veg-starch we got every other weekday.
Preparing dinner is the homemaker's job. Not everyone loves to cook, though.
Girl dinner is just another term for charcuterie.
Which is the best way to enjoy 10 year Hook's cheddar or other spectacular cheeses.
Sounds like a supper to me. Utilizing the original meaning, which is a light, late meal. Just not doing it so late, I guess.
Do they drink a moscato with that supper? That would be perfectly Zillenial.
So what is ‘boy dinner’ then? GORP? (aka Trail Mix)
Typical girl dinners may include some kind of fruit, a block of cheddar, sliced salami, a sleeve of fancy crackers and a dish of olives. Girl dinner is 'both chaotic and filling,' as one TikTok commenter put it, requiring none of the forethought, cooking or plating
This sounds like a way to humble brag your ability to buy small luxuries to those who can't afford small luxuries. Lol I'm in such a rush today I guess I'll eat these nice cheeses, meats , and various hors d'oeuvres that I keep in the house for no particular reason at all. Chaotic and quirky!
As Mike has already said, they've reinvented charcuterie! A type of dish that if missing out on the cooking, tends to be very high on the forethought and plating elements. The article even starts with this when it describes it as 'artfully arranged'!
No need to now try reinvent an actual dish cobbled together from what meat, cheese, and bread you happen to have in the house. Some guy already did it and he called it a Sandwich.
Ditto on the charcuterie comment. I'm a big fan of charcuterie, and it's become trendy in the last few years. Calling it a "girl dinner" is just lame.
They’re paying somebody to write that. They’re not gonna pay anybody to follow the Yankees, Mets, Jets, Giants, Knicks and Nets.
Growing up, we called these daddy lunches as dad couldn’t put together a proper lunch like mom.
My wife's "girl dinners" used to consist of just a root beer float, which I find endlessly amusing for some reason.
It also sounds like I had a "girl dinner" the other night when the wife had to work late. Or does it only count as "girl dinner" if you talk about it on TikTok?
My mother frequently fed us a lunch of Ritz crackers, slices of salami cut in quarters and slices of hot pepper cheese. It was up to us to stack them together and no fancy fruit for us.
I would call it a ploughmans lunch, I make it often in summers when it too hot and humid to contemplate turning on oven.
What Mike said. Some cheese, grapes or an apple, and some sort of cold cut is a perfectly respectable dinner, especially down here in the south during Summer when you don't want to run the oven.
For breakfast lately we have been having cottage cheese with lots of fruit, usually watermelon and some other fruit. Its hot outside, we're trying to stay cool.
Oh Tik Tok. Hardly original. There's even a book about it - not written by a girl.
https://www.amazon.com/Snacks-Dinner-Small-Bites-Plates/dp/0063143224/ref=asc_df_0063143224/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=564808007171&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15226718794983891154&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9018944&hvtargid=pla-1587281383148&psc=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkuWn1Z-HgAMV9ebjBx1-SwSZEAQYASABEgKq6fD_BwE
People discovering new things from the past. Like Ann, as a child we would often have dinner on the fly- some cold cuts, cheese, fruit. Grazing mom called it.
Usually when family watched Bonanza or one of the sunday night shows. Casual, easy clean up, everyone got what they wanted.
Interesting coincidence that you have a post on a cold plate and extreme weather in Vermont on the same day.
I was in Vermont a few years ago for a workshop and they had a record heatwave while I was there. The institution presenting the workshop provided meals and the opening meal of the workshop was served outdoors. There was a buffet line and everything on the buffet was cold.
gilbar has eaten more than his share of girls (ALL actually young women 18+)..
They have all been delicious and NOT very fattening
"girl dinner"
Wow! Apparently we can say girl again. Cool!
Apart from the fruit, this sounds like something a single man would eat while standing up in the kitchen, and not give a name to.
In the book 'The Big Change: America Transforms Itself 1900-1950' the opening describes "John Pierpont Morgan, head of the mightiest banking house in the world and the most powerful man in all American business" leaving his office just after midnight Jan 1, 1900, walking down to his carriage. And also, a dinner not unlike the one described that would have been left out by his cook for his arrival home.
This was dinner for those who were not at the table for the hot meal, if there was a hot meal, as in summer, such weren't often in the age before air conditioning.
My mother was a single mom of two boys until 1966. Sunday evening was "cracker supper" while she collapsed on her bed. Every possible cracker and every possible spread. Jelly, Old English Cheese, Miracle Whip and PB was my favorite.
I still make it when I know my children won't be dropping over to criticise.
Crackers as empty a calorie as there is.
Coming up with a hip label for shit eating.
Sounds like some meals I have, called "scrounging up dinner."
Though mine would be called "artlessly arranged with a plebian simplicity" since I don't remove the cheese or meats from the cutting board and instead eat off it.
Why dirty a plate arranging things when I'm alone? Who am I impressing?
I'd call that a rather civilized dinner and if you paired a nice crisp rose with it, even better. I'd add a dish of Marcona almonds to the selections. Their flavor works with olives - particularly those rather salty oil-cured ones that are popular around these parts.
Not sure about 'vibe' or 'chaotic'. Sounds like a simple, light meal without lots of planning but still somewhat orderly. When I was little we had pancakes for dinner when Dad was on a business trip. I enjoyed those meals a lot, a nice change of pace.
"girl dinner"
Are you kidding me?!?!? I guess the rest of you never lived in a fraternity house!!
Girls were always on the menu!!
YES!
Grazing that's the word I was looking for. We would ask, "whats for supper"? and mom would say, I think its a good night for grazing....and....there is some root beer in the beer fridge for pop floats. (pop was a treat, not a staple item).
Oscar Mayer just found reason to market for Lunchable
Oscar Mayer just found reason to market for Lunchable
Wow!
I would never talk about my “my girl dinners”, but they all seemed to enjoy it!
Why not Lady Dinner?
I've eaten meals like this. They're great when you know you'd only get half-way through a real meal before bloat set in. Cheese is very filling, and fruit complements it well. So does wine. Just sayin'.
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