Really curious about something

When I was growing up, my parents always made it a point that we all get together every night and eat dinner at the table. It was always a homecooked meal, my mother was/is an excellent cook. We had to sit up straight, no elbows on the table, no reaching past other members for food, and ask to be excused from the table when we *thought* we were finished eating. If my parents wanted us to stay, we had to until they finished eating. Later when we were watching television- desert would be brought out on small trays and we would eat our desert in the family room.

Does anyone eat at the table anymore? Or is this a dying tradition?

Since there are only two of us, DH and I eat on the couch in the living room, unless we have company over, but both of us were raised to eat meals only in the dining room. 'Course, we live in a mobile home, and the couch is separated from the table by a end table and a dining room chair!
edit: we are about to move a house onto our property and renovate it, so I look for us to take up eating in the dining room again then, I don't know why, I just feel that way.

I grew up with that tradition as well. However, in my own life - I generally can't even FIND the dining room table. It's such a catch-all for everything. We generally eat on it twice a year - Thanksgiving and Christmas. It think if I had children it would be different. I would make a point of eating at the table with them every night.

LOL Heidi!

I was brought up, similar to you, hissy, when it came to meals. We always ate together as a family every night, and we always ate at the dining room table. Mom served all of the meals in dishes that she sat on the table. We didn't just take the food from the pan and fill our plate. I think that made for extra dishes to wash.

As we grew up, things changed. I personally haven't eaten a meal at a table, except in a restaurant or on holidays in my entire adult life.

I think except for special occasions, it's becoming a dying tradition.

Although there's only two of us, Joe and I pretty much always eat at the table each night. Both us us were brought up that way, and we really enjoy having the time to talk about our day...Joe is a great cook, and has dinner on the go by the time I come home (normally after 7pm).

I was raised in the same way, and 6 out of 7 nights my boyfriend and I eat a homecooked meal at our dining room table. If he wants to watch a game or we rented a movie we'll eat in the living room, but usually I've spent so much time in the kitchen because I love to cook that it's just easier and nicer to set the table and have a nice meal there where we can talk.

I do believe though that this is a dying thing, as none of the couples we're friends with ever do this. Well they don't cook homemade meals to start with!

As often as I can keep my oval oak table cleared of Frej's books, bits of projects etc., we eat at the table. And we always have insisted on "no paws on the table", no cats helping themselves to what they think are leftovers on a person's plate..

Seriously, if we had had children, I would have made homecooked meals, we would eat together, there would be conversation and manners would be used. I would not have cared about elbows on the table but would have asked that one excuse themselves before leaving the table,

bet this dates me...

My children all sit around the table and eat dinner. Admittedly I don't often sit down with them. I'm busy serving the babies, wiping up spills, etc etc. As soon as they're a little older I fully expect to sit down with them. I DO make sure to have conversation at the table even if I'm not exactly sitting. As to the homecooked part..wellllll, define homecooked in this day and age. Do I usually prepare whatever we're eating? Yup. Is it usually a 2 hour prep meal? Nope.

We sit to dinner each night, although hubby is usually missing as he doesn't get home till around 7 which is too late for the kids. But my children sit down to eat, and I usually sit with them. On the weekends or any other time David is off, we sit as a family either at the kitchen table, or in the formal dining room.

Hissy, I was also raised with the family eating dinner together at the table. I did it with my children when they were smaller but as they got to be older teens (17 or so) we slowly quit doing that over time. I truly think it is a dying tradition and that is very unfortunate. The world is too busy and too fast paced and we all have our own lives. Kids have soccer, swimming, football, volleyball, etc. etc. And we are all, for the most part, working. I think it's part of the modern breakdown of the family. Just my opinion.

As a child of the 60's with two working parents (unusual at that time). . . . we did somehow manage to sit down as a family on most nights . . . . I remember having to ask to be excused when finished. Wow have times changed.

Today. . . . we're lucky to sit down as a family (I'm a single mom of 2) twice per month. . . . and it involves clearing the table of of mail, newspapers, magazines, . . . . you name it. . . first.

We often eat on the run. . . . late at night. . . . it sucks, but it's the American way I'm afraid . . . . trying to burn the candle at both ends. Subway, Pizza, McDonald's are common evening meals. . . sometimes we dine in (if this counts as sitting down with family). . . .

If I could stay home. . . . . I'd cook home-cooked meals every day. . . . and would sit down at a normal hour. . . . but I'm afraid this will never be reality so long as I'm a single mom struggling to make ends meet.

Laurie

We sometimes used to sit at the table to eat but now there are TV's and Computers.. So sometimes I will just slouch infront of one and eat! We always eat food in front of the TV at Nana's it's kind of a tradition and the Dining Room table isn't big enough for Christmas Dinner so we all sit in the lounge!

When I was a child, my parents and I always had Dinner together at the table. The manners aspect wasn't as stressed- elbows on the table was no big deal and there was always a lot of laughter, I remember that vividly.

However, my hubby and I both work- and its rare that we all sit down together and eat. I usually throw some things in the crockpot to slow cook all day while we're gone, and then the kids eat as soon as we get home from picking them up at the sitters. Hubby and I eat when we get the chance, sometimes not until pretty late. Meal time is not a time that we plan for in a big way and look forward to.Honestly some of my favorite nights are nights when we get take-out. Its after dinner has been eaten and the kids have had their baths that we have our quality time. I only get 2 hours with them in the evenings most days, so eating is gotten over and done with as soon as possible.

I guess it kind of is a dying tradition, with so many working families

we make it a point to eat dinner at the table every night

When I was growing up, dinner was always served at the table. Occasionally, my brother or I would be at sports practice or out, but we never ate in front of the TV. Even today, I eat at the table here (eating on the couch just feels weird) and Dad and I eat at the table when I go home to visit.

We usually ate together at the table, especially when I was little. When my dad started traveling all the time, it was a little harder to do, and sometimes my mom was just too tired to do a nice meal, since she was the only one really taking care of the kids.

Bill and I eat at the table. Our table is in the family room and we watch the news, while eating dinner. Since Bill goes to bed so early, we eat between 5:30 and 6:00.

Growing up, my parents didn't allow eating anywhere EXCEPT the kitchen. As the family grew, through marriages and grandkids, adults were allowed to eat off of the coffee table and the picnic table became the "kids' table". As a smoker, I usually opted to eat outside, with the kids. Here, in Tucson, one can eat Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners outside.

when i was at home with the family we all eat at the table, but i think this is dying away, peoples lives is too busy, kids in so many sports and wifes and husband working different shifts, things have changed for most of the people, my hubby and i eat in the living room, we have breakfest at the table, but that is only once in a while. we eat the holiday dinners at the table with the family, i think that is still going on with most people

What is a dinningroom table? I don't even own one. We (when we get the chance will usually get fast food, not good for the diet but hey it's fast(usually). Honey is trying to cook more but with our schedules chashing, we don't eat together much once in awhile. I never cook!(not unless I call the fire dept in advance and warn them!LOL) We have all sorts of cook books though, why? who knows. I only open them if I want something different. then it's shopping I go!
We usually either eat in the computer room, or in the bedroom in front of the tv. we are really lazy that way. We still talk and laugh and things, but not at a table. It's a dying tradition that sitting at a table, but if you do it, maybe your kids will too!