Just ask for a G&T and a glass of wine and enjoy the drink before you have your starter. I agree with you, especially coming home I want a long dinner and to stay a wake a while to get back onto UK time. But most of the cabin does seem to want to go straight to sleep so doing dinner ASAP suits most.

Post dinner if I want a drink or another tea I use the bell

The crew actually made a point on my last ex-SIN of advising people to eat and not to go straight to sleep as it was a very long wait for another meal!