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Ask HN: What do you watch during lunch or dinner, if you're by yourself?
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.
- sideras56 2mo agooh you like Veritasium?
- deleted 2mo ago[deleted]
- Manueltofix 2mo ago[flagged]
- JohnFen 2mo agoI don't watch anything. If I'm eating alone, I usually listen to music or read.
- MinimalAction 2mo agoThat'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?
- rawgabbit 2mo agoI 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 2mo agoSounds like I'd enjoy those videos as well! Any particular recommendations?
- rawgabbit 2mo agoKyoto https://youtu.be/cLvzRt2zXZY?is=1xHA-QA43ZJnrbvo https://youtu.be/cLvzRt2zXZY?is=1xHA-QA43ZJnrbvo Provence https://youtu.be/HcKDXkwkO-E?is=ERjiyn0HOisl32Zr https://youtu.be/HcKDXkwkO-E?is=ERjiyn0HOisl32Zr What I imagine every Italian family is like https://youtu.be/VIioLuSU7q8?is=isilOdAL8z1GSDw6 https://youtu.be/VIioLuSU7q8?is=isilOdAL8z1GSDw6
- joshdavham 2mo agoWhether 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.
- dd-sharma 2mo agoThis 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.
- thekaptain 2mo agoMy 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 2mo agoI watch Lehto's Law (by Steve Lehto) while eating lunch: https://m.youtube.com/@stevelehto/videos https://m.youtube.com/@stevelehto/videos They're just about the perfect length and interesting enough.
- k310 2mo agoNothing. 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.
- MarkYuan_123 2mo ago[dead]
- nicetoseeu 2mo agoMostly 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 2mo agoIf you like Fireship, check out Kevin Fang's videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm8EsftbfNzSiRHzc7I59KQ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm8EsftbfNzSiRHzc7I59KQ There's only a few a year, but they're excellent.
- kentich 2mo agoProductTrailers.xyz - TV channel for Product Hunt launches.
- dlcarrier 2mo agoWhenever a YouTube channel I follow covers a topic related to food, I save it to watch while eating alone.
- al_borland 2mo agoMost 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.
- sky2224 2mo agoI'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.
- mstaoru 2mo agoI'm sorry to be the one to make an obligatory comment: This is a terrible habit. Break it.
- impendia 2mo agoMay 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 2mo agoYou 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).
- impendia 2mo agoThanks, I appreciate it. Yeah, I tried out an online weight loss program (Wondr) that made the same point. When it was video of psychologists, I could definitely understand what they were saying. Unfortunately, when it was video of a chef, saying words like "flavor" with great enthusiasm, I found it hard to stomach. Judging by how happy food makes many people, my loss I guess. Something to think about anyway..... thanks for your input.