At the Table
This would have been a gastronomic tragedy; however, our current housing above the camp kitchen permitted us to transport our pots and pans downstairs to continue cooking the meal over propane. God bless propane. If we have a real house someday, I so wish to have a propane stove!
The other alteration to our plans for the evening was that we ate at the table, by candlelight, over a tablecloth, with clean, cloth napkins. Our previous plan was to put food on the coffee table and hunch over it, scarfing down dinner as we continued watching episodes of Breaking Bad.
The candlelit dinner (with a nice Zinfandel) was a much better experience for my husband and me.
Sadly, the two of us often resign ourselves to eating in front of the television. We blame our surroundings for watching television daily (our home is very remote from friends, and it is too dang cold to play outside!); and yet we look forward to beginning school next year, since our work and new friends will keep us busy. We also talk about how we don't want to watch television in the future when we have children, and CERTAINLY don't want to eat dinner with them in the living room.
I hope to continue the tradition of family dinners. My parents had us stop homework or tv-watching every night to sit at the table and eat together. They'd ask us what we learned at school ("Nooothinnggg.") and catch each other up on the events of the day. Little did I know that this ritual was the foundation of our training as civilized persons.
In our "grain-bag society," people eat anywhere, anytime they want. It's why we have drive-thrus at fast-food establishments. It's why people stuff their purses with granola bars and candies. It is this ubiquitous eating that has taken away any sign of etiquette and communal enjoyment of meals.
As you head into your Thanksgiving family get-togethers, take time to appreciate the effort put into the meal by the cook, the beautiful place-settings, and the faces of those you love. Enjoy the conversation, in addition to all that gravy!
All this has been brought to mind because I've been doing a little reading about etiquette. A very convincing. witty book by Judith Martin has been causing me to consider the implications of a "grain-bag society," and how I'd rather implement solid training-in-eating to my future children (forks and knives, not fingers). Read on for your enlightenment and amusement:
