Poll: Family Dinners

[Duck Sandwich]

If you ever come across any articles on decadent teenagers doing drugs, being obsessed with instant messaging, eating too much fast food, or some other "unwholesome" activity, you might find something blaming it on the lack of families eating together. Here's an example.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1200760-4,00.html

What do you think about families eating together? Do you think it's important? Do you eat with your family, or do you make your own food/eat out?

Personally, I prefer to eat on my own. Whether it's with friends or family, eating, for me, has never been about conversation/bonding, but about the food. I can cook well enough on my own, Eating on my own means I can choose what I want to eat, which is not only more enjoyable for me, but better for my body. I'd much prefer to make myself a good omelette sandwich to say, potatoes/rice/garlic bread.

 

[TheIronRuler]

Nope.
That's not important, that's the MANUFACTURED american dream.
We each have a different schedule and can't eat together.
Yet surprisingly I don't do drugs, don't have a facebook account or slice my wrists! (Did I forget something?).

 

[Zoomy]

If you ate with my family you'd know why I voted "no". Bad table manners paired with a habit of decrying whatever the fuck I do (how is keeping a hat on at the table more rude than say, chewing with your mouth open like an inbred troglodyte?), stupid conversation and the slow burning death of my soul.

 

[Danny Ocean]

I prefer sit-down dinners every day, and I'd say they're important. They give us all a chance to chat (both my parents are quite clever so we tend to talk about interesting things) and it's also nice to not have to cook for myself every single day. It also means that we can push the boat out more often and cook more difficult or exotic foods because we're cooking for a group rather than just one person. It feels more natural and inclusive and friendly.

 

[Wrds]

I'm an pretty introverted person myself, but I feel like meals are better when they're shared

In regards to the family, I think it encourages families to grow closer and more honest/open with each other. Anything else is just extra.

 

[TheIronRuler]

I prefer sit-down dinners every day, and I'd say they're important. They give us all a chance to chat (both my parents are quite clever so we tend to talk about interesting things) and it's also nice to not have to cook for myself every single day. Feels more natural and inclusive and friendly.

You're lucky, my parents aren't so free.
Their minds focus on little petty things, and I go to great lengths just to start a conversation with them, even resorting to the phrase - "So I got a girl pregnant last week".
No response whatsoever.

 

[Hungry Donner]

Do I think it is generally important? Yes.

Do I think not eating together will result in delinquency? Not in the slightest. Families should spend time together, although that's not a reason to force it on a regular basis.

 

[Danny Ocean]

You're lucky, my parents aren't so free.
Their minds focus on little petty things, and I go to great lengths just to start a conversation with them, even resorting to the phrase - "So I got a girl pregnant last week".
No response whatsoever.

Ah we talk about everything- it's great. I suppose good conversation is the key here. Perhaps you should organise your sit-down dinners with another group of people? Perhaps some of your peers? I think you'd find it quite enjoyable if you had some good friends to talk to.

 

[Baconmaninspace]

I don't think it matters if they eat together so long as they spend extended periods of time together daily. A meal just happens to be the most convenient time to do so.

 

[MasterOfWorlds]

I do think that it's important for families to eat together. It helps to strengthen the family bond, which is important. Of course, as long as the person has a strong support structure of thr right influences, it doesn't really matter if it's family or just a bunch of really close friends.

Yes, it's important, but it's not going to stop those bad activities by itself. It takes proper parenting, influence (built partially through meals together), discipline, and many, many other factors.

It's never a bad thing to have a good relationship with your parents. Dinners can either help or hurt this though, depending on how the child gets along with either parent. At the very least, I see more good coming from eating together than harm.

 

[Simple Bluff]

My dad constantly makes thinly veiled sex jokes. Not that I'm against that sort of thing, but my own dad? Whilst I'm eating?

That said, I see nothing wrong with having a tastful conversation over a meal when I can. Nice and homely and sorts.

 

[SckizoBoy]

On the basis of the collective responses above, it depends on the family. In some cases, eating with one's family can be a prelude to an argument, loud words and empty stomachs. In others, some family members just cannot attend (for schedule reasons etc.). And, luckily, in my case, I get to indulge in deep intellectual conversations with my old man because I rarely get to talk to him otherwise.

 

[Ghengis John]

Nope.
That's not important, that's the MANUFACTURED american dream.
We each have a different schedule and can't eat together.
Yet surprisingly I don't do drugs, don't have a facebook account or slice my wrists! (Did I forget something?).

My parents used to eat with me and my brother all the time. We weren't the Waltons and we didn't have grand discourses on man's reason for being, but it was surprisingly pretty nice, considering it was MANUFACTURED.

I think you can get by just fine without having family dinners. There are certainly other opportunities to parent, and if you put in the time it doesn't matter when it is. That said, meals give people an excuse to come together if you need one and if you're all in the house at the same time you're free to talk while you're eating anyhow.

On the basis of the collective responses above, it depends on the family. In some cases, eating with one's family can be a prelude to an argument, loud words and empty stomachs. In others, some family members just cannot attend (for schedule reasons etc.). And, luckily, in my case, I get to indulge in deep intellectual conversations with my old man because I rarely get to talk to him otherwise.

Well said.

 

[Wextra]

I don't feel its that important. i never really had family dinners and always had a close relationship with my family, but of course i do see how sitting down all together can be good to share stories of the day and such.

When i have a family i think i will encourage family dinners, but i don't feel its important to eat as a family, if you have a loving family, children should (hopefully) end up becoming decent people as adults.

 

[ThatLankyBastard]

I prefer eating in solitude... It lets me do "other things" while I'm eating hehehe...

...like watch anime!

 

[Mylinkay Asdara]

I never had dinner with the family unless we went out to eat together or were attending a larger family function my entire childhood into early adulthood. When I moved in with my fiance's family, that changed some (they eat together maybe 6-8 times a month), and it's nice, but it's also something of a hassle for everyone to make it happen, and that tends to make some nasty interactions afterwards about mess and leftovers and so forth.

I could just not know what I'm missing, but that's been my experience.

That said - I do enjoy eating with people socially and I think we socialize around food more readily than any other stimulus here in America (other than, maybe, drinks). Just not on a nightly basis with people I already live with.

 

[FamoFunk]

Nope.

I've never eaten with my family, fuck, we didn't even eat at the same time so it would of been pointless.
I see no benefit in it at all, there's other places and time to talk which done involve stuffing your face with food.

Apparently I should be sitting and eating as a family with my 2 year old - no. I don't eat at 5-5.30 like her, it's way too early for me, plus she gets my attention away from the table.

 

[Valate_v1legacy]

No. Not important, because not everyone's family is desirable in that way. Is it nice? In many cases, yes. But not 'important'.

 

[JoJo]

Yep, it's just tradition in my family and means we always spend at-least some time together each day since we're often all busy much of the time. No offence to anyone else I would hate to be in a family where you didn't find the time eat together, even when I'm at uni I still always eat with my friends.

 

[TJF588]

Just generally spending time together is prolly impactful, I'd say. But I know that for us, we've rarely ever sat down at the (somewhat ironically identified) dining room table to eat. We'll eat at the same time, sure, because half my household likes to cook, but we'll be in the living room, usually chittering about whatever we happen to be watching (a likely unhealthy amount of boobtubage for us; mine just happen to be streaming videa gehms).