We had a small discussion at the dinner table this evening - who should be served first?
Of course, it was started by the child to get the last piece of birthday cake wondering why they were last (in reality, it was I who was last) and my husband said 'In polite society it's women and children first, men last' - I told him I must not have been brought up in polite society, that in my home it was always father first, children second and mother last.
He said that it was not that way in his home - it was father, mother and then children.
In our own home it has always been my husband first, the children second and myself last - it works out better that way for everyone.
So it got me thinking about everyone else - what's the lowdown in your own homes? Where in the world do you live?
Discussion Replies
-
0 votes
True confession: Since I am cooking I get to taste the food. I am the one who gets the tasty snitches. At the table, I serve the eldest guest(s) any other guest and then my husband and I would be last. -
0 votes
Ok here is how we do it. If my step kids or my neighbors kids are here it is an all out battle. If I call you had better be there and get what you want or it is gone. (that is 5 to 6 kids) If it is just my family we serve my 5 year old first because he is impatient (wants to serve his self right then) and then hubby and my daughter then me. My mother took care of that growing up she would serve every ones plates and give them to them.-
0 votes
My kids know better than to reach for anything - they're animals and if they did that we'd be wiped out of any food before dad sat down lol
I used to make up plates and serve, but with 9 at each meal, I feel more like a line chef than a mom. Now we sit and everyone passes for the most part. When I do serve, it's dad first. -
0 votes
I was a short order cook with all the children we had in and out for a while between the neighbors 6 kids my others 2 kids, my three step kids and their friends and my two but I do not think I could handle 7 full time in the house and cook for all of them. Are they all pretty good eaters. Mine were picky except the two we have now they will eat anything. I have two step daughters that are chicken only, my step son is no onions no mayo and no beans. It was a night mare. Are you more like my mom she fixed it sat it down in front of you and you ate it or went with out. I can get away with that here for some reason. If i could then the food budget would be smaller that is for sure. I cut out the junk food and made every one mad.
-
0 votes
Every one of my kids has gone through a picky phase between the ages of 8 and 12 - four years of tater tots and hot dogs or worse. It drives me batty - but after so many of them doing it and then coming out of it later, I try and chill about it.
They start of really well, eating any veggie you put in front of them, and then by 8 they hate everything but chocolate and make my life crazy until they grow out of it. I even have one that hates chicken nuggets and burgers! Go figure. I know she'll get over it soon enough.
I tell them to eat what we have or don't eat at all. Dad lets them get cereal after I take the smallest ones to bed *sigh* - fighting a losing battle! -
0 votes
I recall not eating cashews for ten years, after eating way too many one afternoon. It did take me some timid trepidation to being able to enjoy them again. I went through the Carrot, peas and lima beans stage. Sent them off in the post. But now I like them, except for the limas ... they are not my favorite but I can at least eat them now.
-
0 votes
My two kids will eat any thing. My 5 year old loves broccoli (baby trees) and turnip greens. He ate squid and freaked my mom out. My daughter has a rule to try anything once. She is like me though no offal and we will all be fine. Now for my hubby he doesnt eat anything. potatoes, hambuger meat, sausage, beans (dried white and brown) and green beans. And must have a bread at every meal. He is the one that are holding us back lol. I told him he needed to grow up food wise. I amsneaking more into his food than he knows. He was eating ground turkey for about two years until he caught me putting it in the meatloaf.
-
0 votes
Annie, don't let your husband do that! My parents were very lax with me during those developmental eating stages. I refused to eat almost any food at all. Those childhood phobias cemented because of it and I actually have had to have therapy as an adult to learn to eat "normal" foods. (Weird for a foodie, I know.) But, it's imperative you don't let these childhood phobias grow. If their food selections to diminish to just a handful it may be a food phobia and not "picky eating". -
0 votes
Oh, no - no. My oldest is 20 and the second is 17 - I've definitely seen it before. Also, one of the kids is Autistic and another has OCD, so it's to be expected from them. The 12 year-old is coming back out of her pickiness already and the ten year old is showing signs of getting there, too. No worries! I promise I'll get them to eat their greens again
-
0 votes
That's great Annie. My phobias actually developed from a touch of OCD. Weirdly, the only things it affected were food and symmetry.
I still tend to eat all of one thing before moving to the next and Michael used to take great delight in putting all the candlesticks on one end of the mantel. Drove me nuts because every time I walked through the room I had to make it balanced. Then he'd reset them knowing it would drive me crazy. -
0 votes
My 17 year-old can only eat one thing at a time. If she forgets what she started with and starts on something else, she sits and stares at her plate like she's mortified. My husband's father ate exactly the same way!
-
-
0 votes
OK.... drilled into my head by my very proper Southern grandmother (this is a woman who wore gloves and a dress to the grocery store until she was in her 70's!):
The guest of honor or most senior person at a meal is always served first. So, if it's a birthday dinner, the birthday honoree goes first. If it's a celebration of a promotion the person getting the promotion goes first. If it's no special occasion the eldest or highest ranked person goes first (minister trumps all but President). If there's a tie (such as two grandparents) it's female before male. After the guest of honor is served service continues around the table passing to the left.
As for kids. No special treatment unless it's a birthday party or tea and she'd be appalled they were even at the main dining table and not in the kitchen! LOL-
0 votes
I remember the childrens table at family functions. We were in another room away from the adults. I thought that was always cool. My aunt would put us in the kitchen and the rest of the adults would be in the dining room or living room
-
0 votes
We were saying last night the we need a children's table just for daily meals here! LOL I loved that table when I was a kid.
-
0 votes
When we used to visit Mama's sister Aunt Myna in RIchmond, VA, she would make my sisiter, brother and I sit at the kiddies table. We were not allowed to begin eating until she sat down, which was proper, but she would not serve us any milk until after our meal had been eaten. This was like being in prison to us, because our Daddy let us drink all of the ice cold milk we wanted to enjoy. We always ate our food (Sshh except for those pesky veggies I didn't care for) He knew we were always hungry and growing, so he was unconcerned about this. Plus, by drinking more milk, we ate less ice cream.
-
-
Browse By Category
Recent Readers
-
-
Related Videos
