My bricklayer, Dill, has been working hard on our extension and it feels that we're making progress now that we're out of the ground. I've even got the scaffold booked for a weeks time!
The other day he was going to work late as he had to start late, so I offered him a evening meal with the family (he often has lunch with us when he's working here).
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| Focaccia from the other night |
I like our girls (and boy) to eat with as many friends and family as possible, sat around the table I think it's really good for them and helps improve their manners. My youngest daughter is a little bit besotted with Dill anyway and has named one of her Duplo figures "Dill" who goes on lots adventures building towers.
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| "Dillster" working hard! |
I also think it's essential that they treat people working for us how they want to be treated, a Polish friend of mine says that in Poland if you have builders working for you then they eat with you each lunch time.
A really strong memory I have growing up is lots of people eating with us as a family, kind of like a stereotypical image of a farm kitchen. Anyone working or helping us on the farm on a Saturday used to have chips with us on a night time and dad even does this for his workers on a Friday lunch time now, my mum also does a big meal around Christmas for everyone that works for them (a great fun evening!) as well as a cooked breakfast on a Saturday. These memories are all noisy, fun meals filled with laughter, part of the reason I've always wanted a big family.
I'd like to have more people eat with us, not for showy meals but for everyday run of the mill meals, and hopefully with a bigger house we should be able to do it more often.
Do you like to have people round to eat?
Do you enjoy big noisy meals?
Yup, and the bigger and noisier the better!
ReplyDeleteDon't get the opportunity very often but do enjoy it. Never big meals though, family too small and far away!
ReplyDeleteBoth my husband and myself are from very small families, so never had the experience of big noisy gatherings.
ReplyDeleteI never missed having siblings or lots of relatives when I was young, but the older I get, the more I'd like to have a bigger family!
On a similar theme of manners and treating people well, my grandad, who was born in 1903 and was very strict about behaviour, told me that to get the measure of anyone, take them out for a meal and watch how they treat a waiter/waitress! I've done it several times, and it never fails!
I love having lots of people round too. Playing games chatting and all mucking in together. Great.
ReplyDeleteWe love big gatherings, and really enjoy spontaneous meals with our neighbours (usually after a couple of aperos I might add...) where everyone dashes home to grab whatever is going, then plonks it on the table or BBQ. But I also love it when the kids are home and have mates to stay over: they all muck in making, eating and clearing up.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea of feeding everyone. We have many an impromptu dinner. Which is why I keep a solid stock in my larder. Family or friends could arrive en mass and expect food. I dont mind as its good for everyone to be together.
ReplyDeleteMy own family when they meet, its big. We are that family in the restaurant who take half of it up. Have kids moving seat to seat. Babies are handed around, so that someone can eat, but we dont take up extra space with high chairs. We also eat family style, to save the restaurant the hassle of what people dont want on their plate. The plates go down we ask for extra plates and what we dont eat or wont eat if the portions are too large for littles or ladies. Those plates are then passed down the line and other people take what they like and eat it, better than the bin). My friend was horrified when she came to a family dinner and we did this.
When it is at my parents house, sometimes it is standing room only or sitting in shifts. Slow cookers are your best friend. Or like my parents, get a catering pizza oven in the garage!
A table and no TV is the best way to get the kids to talk. Good for you. If we had kids I would do this also.
Dill is cute - your daughter has good taste ;)
ReplyDeleteLike Sol, RMan would happily invite anyone for dinner at a drop of the hat, and only tell me on his way home. A full larder (and some handy recipes for surreptitiously "adding" to the food on offer) is a must in those kind of situations.
I love it when all our respective kids return home and I have a full table :-) I keep well stocked cupoboards and freezers and can feed a crowd on short notice.
ReplyDeleteToatlly agree with Col about getting the measure of someone by how they treat waiting staff!
Yes, the more the merrier. When I was young my mum and dad were stewards at a working men's club. Saturday nights were so busy, Bingo, a comedian or singers. On Sunday mornings the place was a mess. Three or four members came round and with my dad they cleaned up and washed down the whole club. My mum and I made breakfast for everyone there. It was a lovely moment in the Sunday morning as we all sat around the kitchen table and ate a full English.
ReplyDeleteFriendly and kind people, eating food is so full of sharing, talking and laughing. I have a large family now, even great grand children and I like nothing better for us all to be together, a barbeque will do. Love Andie xxx
When I was growing up we had a big meal at noon. Generally farm help was invited. You had to be there right at 12. Everything stopped!
ReplyDeleteWe are on holiday and commented how lovely it is to see families eating together, and when friends turn up, they pull up chairs and enjoy the company. I grew up part of a large family, so I love a big meal with loads of people, it makes the time far more interesting
ReplyDeleteJust about everyday there are several and sundry people sat around our kitchen table. Our children and their children and their friends and our good friends and our shared lives guys and so on. I agree that sitting around the table, with phones off and children dotted among the grown ups helps children learn how to converse and share and behave in company.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason to be a prepper too.. a well stocked larder.
Gill