Food is a way of life, and a huge part of our celebrations. Everything seems to revolve around food; when we're happy we celebrate with food, when we're feeling blue we reach for something comforting. When we're busy sometimes all we have time for is to grab something handy or quick.
When I was growing up, we ate meals around the table as a family. Every. Single. Day. And as a teenager, I tried to figure out how to get out of it, to find a way to eat while watching TV perhaps. But Mom and Dad were adamant about dinner as a family. As I grew up and matured, I made my own choices. By the time I had kids of my own, I found myself insisting on eating dinner as a family around the table. Every. Single. Day.
When I remarried and created a blended family of six kids, I found this to be a very effective way to keep the lines of communication open between kids and adults. One of the things we learned was that asking a general question such as "How was school?" got us the standard answer: "Fine". We soon learned to ask questions in a different way. "What did you learn in school today?" Not every kid wanted to volunteer a lot of information, but it was a way to start discussions, to learn how to speak our minds, and to learn about how others are thinking or feeling.
When you're the cook or chef for the main meal on a daily basis, it can be stressful at times. Every kid comes home from school and asks "What's for dinner?" It's up to us to decide what the meal will be. It could be something as simple as soup and grilled cheese, or your traditional Thanksgiving turkey with stuffing and gravy. Either way, gather your family around the table, set it with paper and plastic, or your best china. We know without food we die. But without fellowship, that time with family, life is not worth living. Let's eat!
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