Gina Changes Her Mind
December 28, 2009
When my friend Gina was young, family meals featured arguing and fighting. Once she was on her own, she decided it was better to eat quickly, by herself.
Donald, the man she married, came from a home where family dinners, including weekend meals with the grandparents, were bedrock. In the early days of their relationship, meals were a serious problem.
Because Donald had young children from his first marriage, it made sense to eat together when the kids were with them on weekends. Also, Gina says, "When I'd call him during the day to talk about something, he would say, 'Okay; let's talk about this at dinner.'" One more reason to eat together.
Soon, the kids came to live with them half time. And, Gina says, "I started watching Donald cook. He thoroughly enjoyed cooking; it relaxed him. We would start making plans for our lives while he was pushing bacon bits."
Fast forward a couple of decades. Now, on Sundays, Donald and Gina visit his daughter, who now has a husband and a baby. Donald cooks dinner while Gina takes the baby for the afternoon. Then three generations share a meal.
Gina says, "I have learned that cooking is one of the most generous things you can do. It's something you do for people that you love."
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.