One day my husband came home with two little folding tables, at least that’s what I thought they were. I put one in our living room, right beside the window and used it for some of my favorite plants, the other one went in our bedroom and was used for magazines and books. They were just the right size.
He looked at them funny when he came home, but didn’t really say anything at first. Later that night he explained to me that those were TV-trays. They were used as a tray, so that people could eat their meals right in front of the TV. I laughed out loud. “You brought home two TV trays, so that we can watch TV while eating?” I asked him in disbelieve.
I think he already knew that he would lose this argument; I could see that he felt uncomfortable. “Not always, but sometimes when there is something on that we want to see,” he said quietly.
“Like football or basketball? Does that mean I can stop cooking now and we will eat TV dinners from now on?”
I had seen movies were people ate meals in front of the TV and I always thought it was the saddest thing I had ever seen. How can you be in your home with your family or your spouse, but feel the need to stare in the TV while eating?
I would like to slow down the way we eat. “Lets have a quick lunch,” doesn’t sound so healthy to begin with and fast food is not just quickly picked up, it’s also eaten way too fast. I can’t believe how often I watch people eating in their car while driving.
There should be enough time to sit down and enjoy a meal and it doesn’t matter if it’s in the cafeteria or if you sit alone on a bench outside during your break. Even if you live alone, have fun set the table nice, light a candle and enjoy your meal. I believe we eat less when we eat slower, we eat less when we actually pay attention to what we eat.
Preparing and cooking a good meal takes a long time, it shouldn’t be gulped down in a few minutes. That’s at least why I think.
Pace Oddity
If you could slow down an action that usually zooms by, or speed up an event that normally drags on, which would you choose, and why?
The happy Quitter! 
Our family has always eaten at the table and our children remember this time as a special time when we were all together and no distractions. My husband and I were raised like that and we brought our children up like it. My sister’s family, did not, and it always seemed so strange when we visited and everyone was going in different directions instead of arranging for everyone to eat together.
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I have to say that yours is a very Continental response, but I agree with you. 🙂 Trouble is, my husband eats very rapidly, and he’s up at the sink washing up (told you he does 🙂 ) when I’m only half finished. Not remotely romantic or good for conversation. But I LOVE your centrepiece. 🙂
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I agree!
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Going on our first cruise exposed us to two plus hour dining. THAT’S the way to eat, with coffee and conversation at the table afterwards.
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That’s actually the European way. Italy, France, Spain, Portugal…everywhere there it’s not just about eating, it’s about getting together. It’s like a miniature party 🙂
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Yes, cell phones at the dining table. It gets worse. The TV on without anyone even looking. Just for comfort. The noise reminds them they are still alive. Autumn is knocking on the door here. Soon, the leaf blower brigade will come out. Noise is so much part of life. What harm are those leaves doing?
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I must sound so oldfashioned, but I don’t find my cell phone that important. I hate the idea to be available at all times, especially for customers. HECK no.
We would drown in leaves here without picking them up, but I love them in the garden.
I have the radio on for noise in my workroom. I love music and working alone gets old (and older) so I don’t feel too lonely. Music makes me happy (the right music of course).
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It is true that we eat more when watching TV. Unfortunately my OH and I tend to eat from a tray (not fast food or a TV dinner I hasten to add) because we only have a small table and it is used for my laptop and stuff! OK I could move it – and do occasionally. And when we move I aim to have a proper dining table where we will eat at every evening. I must confess to smiling at your use of the trays 🙂 Your poor hubby!
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Your situation is different and I you will enjoy eating at a dinner table very soon. But many (too many) have dinning rooms and kitchen table and still chose to eat from a TV tray, that just puzzles me.
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What a wonderful idea! I LOVE to sit and just savor my meal. Growing up, meal times were the best part of the day, because it is when the family was TOGETHER to discuss our days and just be together. Not so much these days. Even eating alone, I love to sit and relish in the small pieces of delight I am placing inside my mouth! We are so consumed with our busy schedules that we don’t enjoy these rare, moments of pleasure.
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Exceptionally , (twice a year, maybe) we have dinner in front of the tv set…
We’re not tv addicted at all , but it may happen when there is Opera ,from La Scala , or when a certain film we’ve been waiting to see for years , is on …
The other 363 nights we have our traditional Italian dinner , though I don’t like cooking too much!
Love this post
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That’s like it is in our house as well. Superbowl is the one day when there is finger food served and we eat it in front of the TV and when there is something extraordinary on, but that’s it 🙂
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And I got to really enjoy doing it. My husband and I had little to nothing to say to each other during the last years of his life, and if we did try talking all I got was a lot of sighing, “you just don’t get it” type of remarks and eye rolling. I grew to loathe trying to have a civilized sit down dinner with him. But I do agree that it has contributed greatly to the decline of civilized society and communication. One thing you maybe left out is that leaving the devices (cell phones, tablets, what-have-yous) turned off and not at the table is necessary too. I had a dinner this past holiday season at a relative’s house. Nobody talked, everyone was too busy clicking their stupid cell phones and ignoring each other, even though we sat down to the meal. I found it really off putting.
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We both have cell phones, but there are phones only. We are in our 50’s so we are not enslaved to the phone, the are not on our table…Gosh I couldn’t handle that.
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We got rid of television 8 years ago and never looked back. Although, we have a rule now for no electronic devices at the table. I am a huge proponent of eating together as a family.
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We have a TV in our living room and I have one in my workroom, because I work alone during the day and switch between music and the TV. This way there is a noise…if that makes sense. I like some shows and I love good movies, but there is a time for everything. I was born and raised in Europe, so I did have a problem with some of the American eating habits. They drove me nuts…still do.
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Tell me about it!! The TV is a huge bane in my existence. It is one of my REALLY big hot buttons.
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It’s a hot button for me as well.
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… as I listen to the TV blaring in the background. Husband is ADDICTED to news channels. Grrr.
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My husband too, he gets up and turns “the box” on, I get up and turn it off 🙂
TV or too much TV drives me insane, it’s like I can’t hear myself think.
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Exactly!! All that background sound is really distracting. It drives me crazy.
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