A language learners’ forum

I have no idea what to answer in either situation. If the dinner is ready "now", it may still take people some time to get to the table, maybe not 5 minutes, but anything up to a few minutes. "Almost ready" - what's that? Half a minute or 5 minutes? Is there anything anyone else can do to speed it up? How many will attend the dinner? Does the dinner require that everyone is present at exactly the same time? (Maybe it's a holiday, birthday etc.)

Thank you for everyone's responses. The reason I asked was, I was complaining to my cousin about the situation at home, but I grew up Cantonese style and she western stlye in 2+ countries, so I wondered if she necessarily understood my frustrations. From there I also wondered what things are like in other families and cultures. Thank you again.