Meals - eat together and the same?

Hmm. When I'm at home, which is normally 2-3 weeks three times a year, we quite often eat as a family. We take turns with the cooking, though - fortunately my mum and dad and my sister and I are all above average in the kitchen. There's been a long-standing tradition in my family of never having the TV on when we're eating together. When I was younger it seemed a pain in the arse, but now I can definitely see that it makes sense.
 
When a meal has been cooked and we're all in (a little difficult) my family eat together. Usually we eat what we make ourselves at our own times, but usually around the same time.

My parents are both in their 50s. My brothers are 18 and 19. I'm 19 too. When I was younger, we always ate together, but it changed as we got older.
 
Well when I was at home over Summer I only ate with the family on weekends as during the day I was working till 9pm and got home at about 9:30 ish... (about the same time my parents go off to bed).

But usually if this isn't the case, we try to eat together, while watching TV.
 
I always eat in my room nowadays mainly because everyone has a gung ho attitude to cooking round here so it's usually everyone for themselves and if my mum does cook something I'm grateful but still take it upstairs.

Last meal I ate with my family was Christmas dinner, bar going out to eat.
 
Nah doesnt happen here at all :( My mum worked nights for over 20 years and my dad always used to work abroad (now lives in malaysia) so we have always pretty much sorted outselves out. I really hate it as its the 1st thin I notice when invited for dinner/breakfeast round friends houses. They all talk and stuff about their day. I'm like whats all that bout then lol. I'll change it when i start my family though :)
 
Whenever it was just me and my Mum, we always used to eat sat at the coffee table in the lounge. Whenever any of the rest of the family were home we ate at the table. My Brother never ate with us unless it was Christmas because he and my sister absolutely hate eachother (was far easier to let one of them eat in their room).

I dont have a dining table, have no room for one. When it's just me and baby Tiggy, we eat at her little table in the living room. When 8 I3ALL's here, baby Tiggy will have her tea, and we'll have something once she's in bed. She's so awkward with her food, it's so much easier to concentrate on her eating without my food going cold at the same time.
 
Wow - this thread goes to show my much society has changed from the 'good old days'. Seems most families don't eat together, don't sit around the dining table... and keep the TV on! :eek: Surely this can't be a positive change?
 
clv101 said:
Wow - this thread goes to show my much society has changed from the 'good old days'. Seems most families don't eat together, don't sit around the dining table... and keep the TV on! :eek: Surely this can't be a positive change?
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Yes, quite obviously if I spend time with my parents while they watch TV it ruins any sense of family :rolleyes:
Imo, if families are spending time together even if it's just in front of the TV they're doing a hell of a lot better than many friends I know who barely see their parents these days. Often end up discussing the news that's on the TV with my parents anyway, surely not a bad thing?
 
We very rarely eat as a family. My parents will eat together as my Mum will cook for Dad where as I'll fix my own, usually because I either cant wait for them or because I dont eat a lot of meat so we don't share a lot of meals anyway.My brother recently moved out but he used to cook for himself as well (and he was a better chef than the rest of us put together)

Xmas is a different matter entirely, its my favourite meal of the year and I look forward to us all crowding round the table together.
 
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Back in the "good old days" we used to sit down as a family at the kitchen table (no telly) and eat the same meal. We would discuss what we had been doing that day and any family matters which needed discussing. Before we left the table, we asked to be excused.

When we (the kids) started to reach our teens and have other interests outside school and the home, this grew less and less common with people coming and going at different times until it reached the stage where Mam would cook a meal, plate it up and it was bunged in the microwave whenever you got in. You would then eat your meal wherever took your fancy (I frequently ate my evening meal in my own bedroom watching my black and white portable telly).

This is one of the parts of my youth which I miss, especially working away from home. I enjoy visiting home and having a family get together.

Stan :)
 
As a kid we all sat at the dinner table for main meals, there was only one meal on offer.

Nowadays I ensure the kids sit at the table (although there is a TV on) and I'll rarely cater for multiple meals. My eldest is a veggie and all I do is make an extra quorn item instead of the meat.

I find it's the only time my kids are quiet is when there eating.
 
When I'm at home then I'll normally have a meal with my folks sitting at the table unless one of us isn't around when we quite often do our own thing, there is no tv in the room so that is never an issue. I quite like having a meal together although I usually clear off when it is time for pudding.

At uni I might end up having my meal at the same time as my flatmates but it isn't a meal together by any stretch of the imagination and the tv is likely to be on anyway.
 
With our family its slightly different in that lunch is the main meal of the day as opposed to dinner, the only exception is Sunday evening when we go out to a restaurant. We always sit at the dinner table away from TV's and the like. Wouldn't have it any other way.
 
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