In Maine, is it More Appropriate to Say Supper or Dinner?

Growing up in Maine is special.

I can't say what life is like in other states because I've never really lived in another state for any real length of time. But one thing about life in Maine, is that we're often steeped in tradition. Frankly, it borders on the superstitious. There's so many that they're quite hard to keep straight.

One thing we Mainers take very seriously are our meals. We like big breakfasts, and in a lot of homes, the evening meal brings on many options in itself. We all know one of Maine's greatest traditions, which is Baked Beans on Saturday nights. Think how many towns, churches, schools, etc. all have bean suppers. Which actually brings us to one of the most hotly debated subjects you'll find among Mainers...

Do you call the evening meal supper or dinner?

My whole life, I've grown up calling my evening meal supper. The most popular catchphrase among us, thick with our young Maine accents, "What's for suppah?" Although in my adulthood, I do find myself saying dinner more often than I used to. But if push comes to shove, I'll default to supper. It's in my DNA, I think.

On Reddit, someone asked the same question, so I dug through all the answers on there to seek out the truth. There were dozens and dozens of comments. I have to say the most compelling argument I noticed, was from people who used both. They often said that you "have supper at home, but go out to dinner."

But when all was said and done and I counted up everything... Far and away, the answer was Mainers most often use the term... Supper. And not by a small margin. It was easily 3 to 1 in favor of using the term supper. So if you ever doubted which one we use more, the answer is plain to see. Supper all the way...

Mainers also love the foods they grew up on. Is yours on this list?