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One in three of us eat more meals by ourselves than we do with other people, a new study revealed today.
But before you digest that somewhat depressing statistic, there is some good news - kind of - a lot of us are perfectly happy to eat alone because the computer and TV provide us with solitary entertainment.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, half of the UK's bachelors eat a meal alone at least once a day. And even one in four mothers with families have dinner mostly by themselves according to a major report on eating trends and social change by the Future Foundation. However, eating alone doesn't seem to matter anymore if you can chat away on social networks - in fact it's now both a quick and entertaining affair.
'Suppertainment' is the phrase being coined for the current major trend that reflects the number of people who eat in front of the computer, TV or games console.
Single men are the majority leading this trend, with 60 percent of them spending meal times plugged into something.
However, 40 percent of mothers and 30 percent of students also eat meals whilst being on the PC or laptop several times a week.
Boyd Hilton, TV and reviews editor of Heat Magazine says: 'Setting yourself up in front of the TV to "Suppertain" comes naturally, especially when you've been on the go all day.
'If I'm on my own I always tend to make a quick and easy meal and settle down to watch something entertaining or I'll get on the laptop and catch up with comedies like the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm on More 4 or Outnumbered on BBC1.
'I think it's such a bonus that healthy, tasty convenience meals now mean you can relax about eating good food without having to worry about preparation time.'
(Read by Lee Hannon. Lee Hannon is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) |
今日发布的一项新研究揭露，1/3的英国人自己一个人吃饭的次数比和别人一起吃饭的次数更多。
不过在你回味这一让人有些抑郁的统计数值时，也有一些好消息，就是许多英国人都很愿意独自进餐，因为电脑和电视让我们可以自娱自乐。
英国半数单身汉每天至少独自吃一顿饭，这也许并不让人惊讶。不过根据未来基金会的一项有关饮食趋势和社会变化的大型调查的报告，就连有家庭的妈妈们也有1/4的人大多数时间是一个人进餐。
不过，独自进餐似乎不再是件头疼事，如果你在社交网络上聊天的话，现在独自进餐事实上是一件既便捷又有趣的事。
“娱乐进餐时”就是为了反映目前在电脑、电视或游戏机前进餐的人群数量增多的这一主潮流而造出的新词。
单身男性是领导这一潮流的主力军，60%的单身男性都是在电脑或电视前吃饭。
此外，40%的妈妈们和30%的学生每周也有数次在台式或笔记本电脑前吃饭。
《Heat》杂志的电视剧和评论编辑波伊得•希尔顿说：“坐在电视机前，‘娱乐进餐时’很自然地就开始了，特别是在你已经忙了一整天后。”
“如果只有我一个人的话，我一般会快速简单地做顿饭，然后坐下来看一些有趣的节目，或是打开笔记本电脑，看一些喜剧，如More 4频道新一季的《抑制热情》，或BBC1频道的《子女闹翻天》。
“我认为现在享用健康、美味、方便的一餐意味着你可以在轻松享受好食物的同时不用为做饭时间烦恼，这真是一个额外的好处。” |
