How do you and your family have your meals?

[jsluder]

We only say grace when we have company that says grace. Our lives are our prayer.

Ah yes. We only say grace when my parents are visiting. I guess that makes me the heathen of the family.

[emmline]

When we all sit at the same time, my husband likes to say grace. We let him.
The children have all caught from me the very-personal-spirituality affliction...that is to say, it doesn't hew well to a religious system, and is most comfortable not framed in spoken words.

We grab our flatware (stainless) out of a divided drawer. The spoon collection is eclectic. My favorite eclectic collection, though, is the mugs, so for morning coffee I may be in a mood for the heavy-walled "Blue Ridge Restaurant, Floyd W.Va" mug, or the funny dented can-shaped cup, or the white speckled one from IKEA, or possibly the weird touristy one from "The Alpine Alpa" in Wilmot, Ohio (home of the world's largest cuckoo clock.)

Here is the thing that you wouldn't like if you eat at our house and are not an animal lover. New people--e.g., one of the girls' boyfriends, will find himself targeted by the cat from above, and the dog will sit next to him with her head on his lap. We can and do remove pesky pets when necessary, don't worry.

It is interesting how many people routinely eat with the t.v.
I used to find that quite exciting as a kid--the rare occasions when there was something so special on that my mom let us use tv trays and eat in the family room.
I can see how this might come to be a gathering point and a comfortable routine in everyday life though. Not for everyone, but I have no quarrel with it.

[anniemcu]

Do you eat alone or together? At a table or in the livingroom? Watching TV, listening to music, talking or in silence? Does everyone eat the same thing or different things? Do you have balanced meals? Do you have dessert? Paper plates or china?

Yes.

It's a dice roll. We have no overreaching schedule that can be counted on to base things around, so it's often 'catch as catch can'. Alas, it is not conducive to healthy eating. I'd love to change it. We do have a family meal, often with a guest, at least once a week, usually pretty well balanced and received. Spontaneity is great, but it can get ridiculous.

[sbfluter]

Dinner is eaten at the table. Just me and my boyfriend and the mountain of papers that have accumulated all over the table.

As we eat, the TV is usually on. The big white bird will be sitting on her play stand eating her dinner. The big green bird will usually start yelling her head off from the living room as she sits on her stand. The little green bird will usually beg for some food from her cage, and we'll usually cave in and give her some.

In a huff of frustration I will usually run over to the big green bird, tell her I don't like the yelling, then lock her in the birdroom so I can eat in peace. I might just give her some of my food instead. She's got me well trained.

We eat on cheap stoneware dishes and eat foods either made from scratch or made from prepared things, such as jarred sauces or prepared Indian food and naan. The food isn't always balanced. We both tend to cook a one-dish dinner. Lately I've been trying to cook a 3 part dinner (meat, veggies, potatoes.)

Dessert is usually chocolate, but sometimes ice cream. It's not formally "dessert." It just is there. Sometimes dessert for me is another glass of red wine.

[Redwolf]

We make an effort to sit down together as a family every night. The one exception is Wednesdays, when I have choir rehearsal...that's "dad/daughter date night," and Tony and Johanna usually do Taco Bell.

Most nights, I cook. I make up my menues every two weeks (because I do my shopping every two weeks, when we get paid), and thus am able to build a lot of variety in there. We eat a lot of ethnic food (Indian, Mexican, Thai, Italian, etc.). During the colder months we have homemade soup (My specialty! I have tons of recipes!) or homemade chili once a week. Tony has some good recipes too. In fact, he's cooking tonight, as I've been ill this past week (he's making his patented "Daddy's casserole," which was a kind of beef-based shepherd's pie back before we became vegetarians, and now has a new life involving vegetarian taco mix and tater tots...Johanna thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread!).

We sing grace.

Redwolf

[Innocent Bystander]

Here is the thing that you wouldn't like if you eat at our house and are not an animal lover. New people--e.g., one of the girls' boyfriends, will find himself targeted by the cat from above, and the dog will sit next to him with her head on his lap. We can and do remove pesky pets when necessary, don't worry.

We have four cats, and mostly they leave us alone while we eat - unless Siobhan has Chicken or Tuna. But one cat persistently sits on Siobhan while we eat. It's hard to eat spaghetti while there's a cat on your lap. It's amusing to watch the cat because she pretends to sit on me, and then moves over to Siobhan. Nobody is fooled. When we moved the sofa to allow for the Christmas tree, Siobhan and I changed places on the Sofa. The cat sat on me once, and then decided she preferred Siobhan.

We don't do napkins except for extended family gatherings, when the table has to sit eight or so. We don't do Grace either. We have natural grace.

[CHasR]

We swoop down for pizza crusts, bits of soft pretzels and frenchfries at the boardwalk. Sometimes we get lucky and find a clam on the sand.
Needless to say:

We are seagulls.

[dwest]

We swoop down for pizza crusts, bits of soft pretzels and frenchfries at the boardwalk. Sometimes we get lucky and find a clam on the sand.
Needless to say:

We are seagulls.

No such thing as a "seagull"! We are "gulls" with specific names and "sea" ain't one of 'em! I laugh at you!

[CHasR]

[
.... I laugh at you!

I'd...be ... careful about that~!

[dwest]

Those be California gulls, too many Mormon crickets I'd say. No balanced meals.

[Flyingcursor]

I reluctantly make dinner every night. It's not helpful when one is eating six small meals a day to have someone who thinks every night should be a major meal. As a result of my resentment, my efforts are often lackluster. Once and while, on weekends, I'll actually attempt to make something decent.

[Doug_Tipple]

I like to eat at the kitchen table which sits in an extended kitchen area (breakfast nook?) with windows on three sides. My wife and I have only been living together for two years, so we are still adjusting how we do things. For example, like I mentioned, I like to eat in the kitchen, while my wife would prefer to eat in our more formal dinning room, where our table will seat 8 people. We have been going back and forth between eating in the kitchen and in the dinning room.

My wife would like to listen to the radio while we eat, but so far we have observed my preference for no outside media while we eat. I would like to keep it a peaceful time where we can talk without having to listen to someone else talking on the radio. Except for late evening snacks, we never eat in front of the TV.

My wife likes to use her Villeroy & Bock European china in a botanica pattern for all meals. I also have several hand-made stoneware bowls that we use for everyday.

Since my wife is so picky about her food, I have resigned myself to letting her prepare the evening meal by herself. I am more comfortable if I leave the kitchen until she calls me for dinner. For example, she just bought a new chopping knife with a very sharp blade, and I have a hard time watching her use it, mainly because she isn't careful enough. We usually eat dinner early at around 5 pm, sometimes even at 4:30. I am the one who cleans up the cooking mess, washes the dishes, and puts everything away.

The night before last my wife asked me what I wanted for dinner. I said that I needed to look in the refrigerator before I replied, because I want to make sure that leftover food doesn't go to waste. Seeing her irritation with me for my frugal habits, I finally said, "You choose something, dear. I will glady eat whatever you prepare." That seemed to be a satisfactory answer for her. Last night we went out for Chinese food: spicy fried chicken with celery, vegetable egg fooyoung, egg rolls, fried rice, and sweet sour soup with lots of tofu.

[emmline]

My wife would like to listen to the radio while we eat, but so far we have observed my preference for no outside media while we eat. I would like to keep it a peaceful time where we can talk without having to listen to someone else talking on the radio.

I understand this. My husband has always liked talk radio, and generally would default to turning it on in the car. I used to object as having someone else mouthing off inhibited the free flow of discussion which I always found enjoyable about time otherwise stuck driving.

[buddhu]

Lindsey and I eat breakfast and dinner together on our laps on the sofa. I am vegetarian; Lindsey is omnivore, but eats little meat.

Breakfast is porridge/oatmeal for both in cold weather or muesli for me and flakes for Lindsey. Tea and orange juice for both.

Lunch for me is eaten alone in the office or in the car, and consists of raw carrots, a small can of pineapple, fresh apple or banana and water or diet coke. Lindsey has her own packed lunch at work.

Dinner is often salad in the summer. At other times we subsist largely on low-fat, "healthy-eating" ready-meals plus fresh or frozen vegetables. We both begrudge time spent cooking on work days and so minimise it.

We eat together, with the cat spectating and passing the occasional comment. We talk, and the TV is usually on (I think I'd prefer it not to be, but it's not a big deal).

We never do dinners for other people. If we eat with friends it is at a restaurant. Odd though it may seem, we rarely have visitors. We live a few hundred metres from the village pub which is the social centre of our community and which is run by our very good friends. We invariably meet up with everyone there.

[SteveShaw]

We got used to eating at the kitchen table whilst our kids were growing up. We would never let them eat in front of the telly. The kids are long gone now but we still eat our evening meal at the table, except on Wednesdays when we slum it in front of the telly with (select from) Brie, Stilton, Cornish Blue, Bath Olivers, olives, pitta, houmous, crudités (Jaysus, I love that pretentious word!), "Shaw Seafood Sauce"[*] with prawns and avos, and a vat of red wine. I might make a sandwich for lunch if we're both here but if I'm on my own I eat up all the scrappy bits left over in the fridge, stale bread, etc. I have been known to ensure that enough "unwanted" scraps are made available from the day before...

For breakfast I shovel down a bowl of Oatiflakes with soya milk (which I love - nowt to do with health, for which I never eat). I like to get over the bowl and shovel, so it's best if I eat alone.

[*]For two generously, "spoons" being dessert spoons:[/b] 8 spoons full-fat plain yoghurt, 4 spoons mayo, 5 spoons lemon juice, 2 spoons tomato purée, 1 spoon sundried tomato paste, I large spoon hot horseradish sauce, 2 spoons Worcester sauce, good dash Tabasco, a pinch of salt, 3 large cloves garlic, crushed. Put all into a big bowl and stir. Simple. You'll never buy Thousand Island rubbish again. Pour all over your prawns and avo and sprinkle with paprika. You'll live forever, and stink of garlic for two days, so this is recommended for all those trying to terminate their office affairs.