Do you eat at the table.

[Nanto2girls]

There was a discussion about this on another forum a few days ago. it started off, by asking
if you have a dining room,and if so, do you use it.

It then progressed to do you eat at the table.
We always eat our meals at the table. Even if we are only having a cuppa and cake/biscuit, we always sit at the table.
The only time we eat in the living room, is if we have an ice cream while watching tv at night.

[Oma]

We do but not all the time , lots of time we have a tray on our knee , we always sit at the table if the children are here though , or we have guests ,

[Avo]

We have a dining room and a large kitchen/breakfast room, both with tables. The dining room rarely gets used, Christmas and posh dinner parties. We eat in the kitchen every day and also have informal entertaining meals there. Very rarely eat on laps in living room, except for a sandwich lunch sometimes.

[ZIZI]

We live in a maisonette after moving out of our house. The house had an enormous kitchen (size of my sitting room now) and a massive open plan split level sitting/dining room. When we down sized we were amazed at the number of places that did not even have room for a table!

We have a fold under table, the sort with chairs that fold underneath. Just about to buy a new, better one. Most of the time we sit to the table and we always Hve a proper tablecloth and napkins but sometimes we will “lap it”with a tray. When we had the house breakfast would always be in the kitchen and lunch if there was any going. Dinner was almost always in the dining area where we had a sixteen dining table which slid into a smaller size when not needed, fantastic fir big dinner parties and Christmas/birthday dinners etc. I miss my house.

[Qwerty]

We eat every tea time at the table in a separate dining room but do tend to eat a sandwich at lunchtime on our knee, unless it's something like soup or something on toast then it's the table we just have placemats on the table, tablecloth when we have company it's a marble table and easily scratches , no serviettes at this house we slum it 😝

[Nanto2girls]

I always use a tablecloth, we have serviettes, but i don't get them out at meal times.
We just get a couple out of the cupboard if needed.

[Grauntie Mag]

Always at table, every meal. I don't feel able to digest my food otherwise. This is the first house we haven't had a formal dining room but I don't miss it. We still have room to extend the table and add on to seat 16 in our kitchen diner. Entertaining is so much more low key and not so often these days.

[ZIZI]

GM I agree, we used to have regular dinner parties and big lunches so we needed the space. These days mostly we eat alone or I have a friend around for lunch when husband is working otherwise it is really just Christmas or special occasions when we have the family around. When we lived in our house we had loads of friends locally or within easy commute. Most of our children were the same age and most of us were business owners in the same high street, we all seemed to close businesses and down size at roughly the same time. Some of our dinner parties were legendary.

[Daisy]

We often have trays on our laps - even though I'd rather sit at the kitchen table. But OH likes being able to eat and relax in an comfy chair at the same time, and I don't like eating on my own! But when we do use the table it's the one in the kitchen which is glass. I use table mats and coasters and either paper napkins or kitchen roll. The kitchen table will sit 4, or 6 extended so it often get used when OH has his wood turning buddies here and they have lunch. The dining room table is bigger and it only gets used when there's a crowd or a special occasion. It's polished dark wood so I always use a table protector and a tablecloth. I actually enjoy setting the table nicely for a celebration or dinner party - it's just the cooking part of it I'm not keen on!

[Gemini]

There is nowhere eat in our kitchen, but we have a dining room.
When I lived with my husband and children we only ever ate off our knees on Saturday nights. Every other meal was at the table.
OH and I have got lazy. We always eat at the table when guests are here, and the GC. When it is just us though I would say half the time we eat from trays on our knees

[Shemadee]

Our dining table is in the conservatory and always used when the family are staying. OH generally eats at the table but I sometimes have a tray if there is something I want to watch on TV.

[Mimi]

Cooked meals and anything likely to stain my carpets or sofa are eaten at the table in the kitchen. ( OH can be messy sometimes )We don’t have a dining room, the kitchen is just about big enough to get our dining table and chairs in .
We do have ever have a cup of tea and a sandwich in the sitting room while we watch The Chase at 5pm .

[Oma]

Our dining room is only big enough to seat 4 now. 6 if the skinny ones can squeeze each end of the table but they cant get out again
I used to miss our very large dining room and massive pull out table as we had lots of family parties but don't have the energy these days so just as well we cant fit them all in .
We started eating from trays when B was ill and he needed to be comfy and now unless its something very messy we still eat from them , I don't mind now , I did at first but I have become used to it ,

[Gemini]

Oma, we just adapt to suit our lifestyles, don't we?
My mum, apart from a lunch time sandwich, would never eat anywhere but at their dining room or kitchen table, she frowned upon the very idea of it. She and dad always ate at the table, right until him going into the hospital and then to the nursing home.
Mum never ever uses either of her tables now. All meals are eaten on her knee, on a tray, in front of the TV or her audio books.
I don't blame her

[Qwerty]

It's funny how times change isn't it, we have for as long as I can remember had a 6 seater dining suite and borrowed chairs from elsewhere if needed , we did dinner parties galore loved cooking many buffet parties but now I don't enjoy cooking quite so much can't be bothered with all the setting up of dining table fresh flowers etc , those days are gone but I look back with affection that we had good times, our lives have changed now it's all about family entertaining now with Sunday roasts , Xmas, Easter etc and different memories to be made 🙂