Ask HN: What do you watch during lunch or dinner, if you're by yourself?

5 points by MinimalAction 8 days ago | 21 comments

Hello curious fellows!

I've a habit of watching something while having food, be it lunch or dinner. I used to be able to watch some chess game, or a random clip from Would I Lie to You show, but I crave to discover new channels and feeds that are just as fun.

My favorites for a 20 minute video formats have been from Wendover Productions, some videos from Tom Scott, Veritasium or such. Sometimes, I might be in the mood for something less demanding in attention, and would just watch Impractical Jokers.

Watching an episode of some TV serial sounds longer than 30 mins and that's too much for me.

I'm interested to know what do you watch, if any.

k310 8 days ago |

Nothing. No computer, No TV (I don't do TV)

Crumbs get into keyboards.

But before your generation, seriously, Dad would watch news during dinner, and it was coverage of the Vietnam war. Not to be a smartass, but I found the imagery and emotionally charged opinions expressed (half of them, anyway) to be completely unsuited to dinner.

So, I play music. Not just at dinnertime but anytime, classical music is good for the soul. If you have a nearby classical radio station, they will likely play lots of music that doesn't demand attention. But most stations stream and you can go from light to heavy music that demands and rewards close attention.

The big benefit of audio, any old time, is that you are free to roam around and actually get those irreducible chores (or work) done without lock-in.

If you abstain from TV for a while, encountering it is rather shocking in the way it pulls your brain into the screen and takes it over.

FWIW, I used to watch old movies and shows when I was married and we had cable. Dinner can be quite the experience when watching the old Japanese "Iron Chef" episodes, since food is the focus. For nostalgia buffs, the original series used great music by Hans Zimmer, from the movie "Backdraft" which added to the camp feeling.

sky2224 8 days ago |

I've been pretty interested in cars lately, and Engineering Explained has some great videos. They can stretch a bit longer than 20 minutes, but I'll just pause the video and come back to it later when I have time.

And given that I've been interested in cars lately, Delivrd is a channel of this guy that negotiates car deals for a living, and it's actually really interesting to see the different behaviors of car dealerships. His videos are longer, but you can kind of just skip around since it's basically just livestream clips.

And finally, I've been watching lots of older spongebob, south park, and family guy episodes. Man those are hitting the spot right now.

joshdavham 8 days ago |

Whether I watch anything while eating usually depends on how mentally-spent I feel.

For example, if I'm eating breakfast alone in the morning, I'm usually feeling pretty energetic and have a bigger appetite for stimulation. I might watch a podcast interview.

Now if I'm eating lunch in the middle of my workday and I'm alone, I usually don't watch anything. My brain usually feels way too saturated and overstimulated so I might just eat and stare out the window.

After the workday is done and I'm eating dinner, it can be a toss-up haha. If I'm super exhausted, I won't watch anything, but if I'm feeling energetic, I might watch something similar to when I eat breakfast.

mstaoru 8 days ago |

I'm sorry to be the one to make an obligatory comment:

This is a terrible habit. Break it.

impendia 8 days ago | |

May I ask you to explain yourself?

For some people, mealtime is special and a little bit sacred. I have friends who are avid cooks, and for whom eating is often the highlight of their day.

I have never been one of those people, and I'm old enough to I remember the days when, if I wanted a distraction at mealtime, I needed a physical book. Nowadays, I often watch chess videos over lunch, and quite enjoy them. I'm open to being persuaded that I should give this up; would you please try to persuade me?

mstaoru 7 days ago | | |

You may :)

One one side, like you mentioned, I come from the "sacred food" household where everything surrounding cooking and communal meal consumption was revered.

On the other side, there's a body of research that basically boils down (hah!) to the fact that distractions while eating blunt satiety cues and promote overeating and also later snacking (as you don't "remember" the meal).

rawgabbit 8 days ago |

I watch mostly travel videos with the idea it being background noise. I prefer YouTubers who don’t talk much. Just show the energy or calm of the place.

MinimalAction 8 days ago | |

Sounds like I'd enjoy those videos as well! Any particular recommendations?

rawgabbit 8 days ago | | |

Kyoto https://youtu.be/cLvzRt2zXZY?is=1xHA-QA43ZJnrbvo

Provence https://youtu.be/HcKDXkwkO-E?is=ERjiyn0HOisl32Zr

What I imagine every Italian family is like https://youtu.be/VIioLuSU7q8?is=isilOdAL8z1GSDw6

al_borland 8 days ago |

Most broadcast TV shows, with the commercials removed, are about 21-22 minutes long. Those are usually my go-to for lunch. I tend to re-watch series as well, so I don’t have to pay too close attention.

I’m currently re-watching Schitt’s Creek, but others I’ve enjoyed are Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, King of the Hill, The League, Scrubs, Workaholics.

dlcarrier 8 days ago |

Whenever a YouTube channel I follow covers a topic related to food, I save it to watch while eating alone.

thekaptain 8 days ago |

My lunch doesn't take more than 1 hour, in which I am faced with several options: either I watch an episode of a Netflix show , read some manga, or watch Youtube video essays on random stuff. Nothing too demanding, because I want to keep that energy for my work.

rationalist 8 days ago |

I watch Lehto's Law (by Steve Lehto) while eating lunch:

https://m.youtube.com/@stevelehto/videos

They're just about the perfect length and interesting enough.

JohnFen 8 days ago |

I don't watch anything. If I'm eating alone, I usually listen to music or read.

MinimalAction 8 days ago | |

That's fair as well. It occured to me as I wrote my post that not everybody would glue themselves to screen while eating.

But how do you read? On a device?

nicetoseeu 8 days ago |

Mostly YouTube. Channels like Computerphile, Fireship, Veritasium, or interviews with founders.

Lately, though, I've been trying to eat without watching anything. It's surprisingly difficult after years of making it a habit.

dlcarrier 8 days ago | |

If you like Fireship, check out Kevin Fang's videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm8EsftbfNzSiRHzc7I59KQ

There's only a few a year, but they're excellent.

kentich 8 days ago |

ProductTrailers.xyz - TV channel for Product Hunt launches.

dd-sharma 8 days ago |

This may not be the answer you want to hear. I put all my attention on enjoying every bite. Think of mindful eating. I find it stress buster. I don't recall when I did overeating.

sideras56 8 days ago |

oh you like Veritasium?