Mealtime Excitement
Family meals are about consistency and change. They work their magic because we know what to expect. We have our places at the table, we have our favorite foods. Those things bring comfort in an uncertain world.
Still, consistency will only get us so far. When we try new foods, when we experiment with the time, place, and format of our meals, we tweak our routines to keep our families engaged. The best meals strike a balance. After all, if we don’t try new things, how will we find new favorites?
Some of the easiest changes involve the menu. We are lucky to have an endless array of new products, ingredients, techniques and gadgets. We can cook the foods of our childhood one night, and the next night eat the favorites of a culture very different from our own. Within any one meal, we can mix and match. If we want to improve our cooking skills or expand our culinary horizons, all we have to do is open the daily paper or turn on the tv.
These kinds of things work better when we bring a sense of adventure. Not every new dish will be a success, but every one will broaden our horizons. The great food writer M.F.K. Fischer wrote a book many years ago called With Bold Knife and Fork. It remains a wonderful idea.
We can also change the place, time, mood, or format. Just make sure there is enough comfortable space for everyone to sit facing each other. And keep things welcoming, encouraging, sociable, fun.
If you normally eat in the kitchen, switch to the dining room (if you have one), or set up a picnic on the living room floor. When the weather is good, bring the meal outdoors – to the porch, the yard, or the local park.
Invite a friend or family member. Having a guest brings a sense of occasion. Often, it encourages kids to improve their behavior.
Don’t forget to celebrate daily milestones. These can be serious or silly – a birthday, a skill mastered, a piece of luck realized, a lost toy found. Let the kids go all out – special foods, decorations, silly songs. Make one funny hat the Congrats Hat, and save it for the person being honored that night.
Every day is the same. Every day is different. Let’s celebrate the stability and the excitement; the people that we enjoy every day.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today.