“We all had to be fully dressed for the day before we ate breakfast. We all had to sit down at a properly set table three times a day, and we all had to eat what was served on that table … Grandpa would choose the menu for breakfast because he was the first one up. To reinforce the principle of ‘Waste not, want not,‘ we were required to eat everything on our plates. If we didn’t, the food was set aside and served to us at the next meal.”
— Mildred Armstrong Kalish,
“Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm during The Great Depression”
My husband and I have often joked that we learned as children to eat fast because we both came from fairly large families with a mother who could whip up delicious meals. If we didn’t grab what we wanted, it just might disappear before we had a second chance to grab a heaping serving.
No matter how much work we had already completed, and even if studying and homework still needed to be done, it was our job to clear the table and help wash, dry and put away all the dishes before leaving the kitchen. It was simply part of being a family.
I have thought many times that during my lifetime, one thing that has changed drastically is the way America views family meal time.
I raised a son and a daughter who were not one bit picky about what they would eat as young children.
I remember placing cooled scrambled eggs on the high chair tray, adding tiny bites of meats, fruits and vegetables as they were old enough to enjoy them.
Like my mother before me, I fixed three meals a day for my family, and some were favorites, others just acceptable fare. To stretch a dollar, I made a whole lot of casseroles, and what we didn’t grow ourselves I purchased at a local orchard, freezing batches to last us through the off-season.
I have always purchased beef from local farmers, and we have been lucky to know the owner of the local meat market for anything else we wanted to buy.
At meal time, we always gathered at the table that my kids helped set and later helped clear and clean up.
I never forced them to eat every bite, but saw no reason to worry they’d eaten enough.
Wow, has the world changed. Most kids I know have definite opinions about what they will and will not eat, and restaurant fare is often a part of the day’s menu. I’ve known kids who are beyond stubborn about what they won’t even taste, and it is baffling to me.
Every family with young kids finds the days busier than ever. Gathering at the table together as often as possible still seems a valuable priority when at all possible.
The years fly by so fast. Enjoy meals together, even if it’s just long enough to hear complaints about the grub being served!
