Learn English – Extra “the” in “In the evening, the mother and I cooked the dinner”

definite-article

My name's Elsie Jackson. I'm eighty-nine years old. I was at school
eighty years ago! Every morning I helped my mother. We lived on a
farm, and sometimes I milked the cows. I walked eight kilometers to
school. School started at eight o'clock. I learned reading, writing
and math. And then I walked home with all my brothers and sisters. In
the evening, my mother and I cooked the dinner. We didn’t watch TV,
but we played games.

SOURCE

Shouldn't it be:

In the evening, my mother and I cooked dinner.

Grammar reference:

We do not normally use the with breakfast/lunch/dinner:

  • What did you have for breakfast?
  • We had lunch in a very nice restaurant.

Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use, Fourth edition, Page 146

Best Answer

I personally would not use "the" in the sentence, since the narration refers to the usual cycle/habitual action during Elsie's early years (when she's nine years old).

BUT

Because the narration also gives specific actions, I take it that the author wants to point out that Elsie is specifically cooking dinner, and that she's not cooking eggs, nor "midnight" meal, nor any other meal/cuisine or equivalent. Nothing (else) but dinner.

Note:

I think it's best to add @user3169's comment here.

"Dinner could be countable or uncountable. That specific dinner, or the meal you eat in the evening in general. In your example, it is talking about general activities, so I would expect no article (other than for emphasis perhaps)."

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