Do you eat with your family?

I mostly do. My mom is fine with me making HER vegetarian food, I am hoping that she will become one. But she is keep saying
" I will eat your vegetarian food, but I won't become vegetarian."
Its funny. Last night I made Rice with vegetables and this really good sause I found. Next time my mom goes to the store, I will get tofu and veggie bugers since I haven't had any and I want to try them.

Anyway, Do you eat with your family and Do you cook for yourself?

 

usually if im out to eat with my mother she will order something veg.....sitting across from someone chowing down on dead animal kind of turns my stomach.

 

I don't get the chance to eat with my family anymore, because of the hours I work.

And, A freakin' MEN! I wouldn't want to eat with my family anyway, I consider it an absolute blessing, and I'm driven to stay at this job JUST because of the hours! =)

 

I never sit and have dinner with my family...haven't in about seven years...

I come from a hunting, fishing family (how did I end up the way I did? Good question!)...and even if I make food for everyone, they still won't eat it. Like my dad says, "It ain't a meal unless something died." *sighs and rolls eyes* I refuse to eat at the same table as them when they eat meat...because they just love, even after seven years, to shove the shit in my face...

Some people just dont understand.

 

Nobody in this house eats together.

 

The only time we eat together is if there's a barbeque or special occasion. It doesn't tear the family apart or anything, that's just how it is. The person who cooks for everyone else cooks for everyone else and when we're ready to eat we cook for ourselves, there were times when we tried to eat at the same time, but cooking two different meals at once in one kitchen is nearly impossible so it just doesn't happen.

I imagine when I go visit with my family back home I will eat with them because I probably won't have any other time to eat.

 

i eat with my family often, but generally cook for myself or with them so i make sure there are options for me. (tongiht we made chili... i made a big pot for them and a smaller one for me... but they had to cook teh meat and add it to their pot themselves.) depending on what i make, depends in who in my house will eat it. (grandpa likes veggie burgers and the other night my sister and i made shells in cheese with marina sauce.)

 

It's not always about diet, drumminmama, not everyone grew up in a close family. Some omni families never eat together, even when their schedule allows. I think eating together is a lovely tradition, even if you all eat different things, but some people just don't and never have.

 

I dont eat with my family. Dont see the point, never have. Eatin is something we all have to do...why make a big drama of it and make it a family occasion?...grab somethin whenever youre hungry, leave it when youre not, is what i say...regardless of what the family are doin. Its good for children too-teaches independence.

Love-Maxi.Xx

 

Uhm, thanx for the advice...

You say you dont believe i dont eat with my family? Well im afraid i dont! I dont really have what most would term a family...i have my mother and my brother and thats all...and both are very independent and private people, like me.

Why is grabbin food and runnin a horrible habit? Its not like i eat junk food and never cook...im always fryin veg or makin sandwhiches...and its great because i can do it whenever i like. Im also going to be moving away to go to university next year, where id have to make my own meals even if i didnt want to, and so its good practice.

I dont like the idea of the family being some sort of stuck-close-together clan. I know this isnt a popular view, but i genuinely feel the growth of the individuals within the family is more important, especially seeing as most children will need to grow up and go their own separate ways in life. Infact, i dont like the word "family" in general. Of course i love my(two!) relatives...but i love them because they are my friends, not because were somehow automatically tied because of our genes..

Anyway, i sense ive gone off on a slight tangent ...I will certainly try sitting down with my mum and bro and having a meal with them some time soon, and let you know the results. Im sure there is truth in what you have said...and it may even surprise me.

Love-Maxi.Xx

 

well my mom usually cooks me someting seperate, shes gettin used to it, she was once a vegie herself, so she know how to cook for one, and io love everyhting she fixes yumm!!!but idonteven eat with them, i eat alone in my room im weid that way lol

 

I always eat with my family. both my parents are veggies so my brother and i have been since we were born!

 

Well, in days where "family" is interpreted pretty liberally, I'd say you don't get much more like a family than that.

I have to agree with drumminmama here... I actually have trouble thinking of reasons why it ISN'T a horrible habit. I don't want to sound all preachy, but the Slow Food movement dm mentioned is a great place to start. Slow Food International has a website:

http://www.slowfood.com/

People who slow down when they eat eat less (solves a weight issue for some and a don't-take-more-than-you-need issue for others). In a slightly deeper vein, Zen Buddhists (and Buddhists in some other traditions as well) practice a tradition called oroyoki, or mindful eating. I've eaten oroyoki before, and it's a silent, highly orchestrated and contemplative practice, very much "eating as meditation." It's an amazing experience, and one that makes you realize how much we really zone out when we eat. Here's something amazing to do: get a 1" square of chocolate and take ten minutes to eat it. Do nothing else while you eat. Lick it, nibble it, let it rest on your tongue. Notice how it feels, notice the sensations of taste, the subtleties of texture and flavor. You might think this is the first time you've ever tasted anything in your life. It's really astounding. Hubby and I do a "mindfulness meal" once a week - we eat our dinner in silence, focusing on the food

I gotta say I really don't understand this. I mean, I do in a way, but I think this might just be a natural response to you being so young and trying to establish your own identity. But being independent doesn't mean we should shut out everyone else, and I don't think individial growth and familial closeness are in any way mutually exclusive. Humans are social animals, and eating has historically been a communal activity. The hearth was the center of the home, a gathering place to enjoy not only togetherness but also a way to honor the central and sacred nature of food in our lives. I think we're a lot more impoverished as a society nowadays, when we grab fast food on the run and lose that opportunity to connect consciously with both what we eat and who we love.

Good for you, and I certainly hope you have a good experience. Do let us know how it goes.

 

i usually eat with the fam.. when we all have time. my mom makes veggie side dishes like rice and broccoli and i just eat that. i eat several small meals a day so it suits me perfectly

 

Hey dharm thanx for takin the time to read my confused ramblings...

Well your response actually gave me a lot to think about. I think that the reason i dont connect eating with my family, or with spititualism, is that i just see it as a necessity. Like, going to the toilet...and breathing. We dont make a big fuss about these events...so why eating? Ive never understood it. Human beings link eating to allsorts of irrelevant things, like sex...and love. Complete mystery to me...i just dont see the connection here. We dont go to the toilet as a family...or drink water as a family. But anyway i did find your post interesting, and will certainly consider your ideas. I suppose ive just never thought of eating as an "experience"...maybe ive been missing out all these years.

What i said about the concept of family. I think i maybe didnt explain too well. What i meant was, i dont think i could be doing with sitting down at a certain time every day with them...just so we could be in the same room when we eat. Im far too busy with my own life, and they are too. This doesnt mean im rebelling against them or that we dont love eachother. Its just the way we work. Its like a more free, less artificial environment. Most of my friends whose families have the big meal around the table at 6pm every night resent their parents for making them do this, and also feel awkward because none of them actually want to be there. But in my house i find that when we do spend time together its much more valuable...because weve all chosen to do it. For no other reason other than the want to communicate.

And with grabbin food and running, i really do that because of my lifestyle. Im an Alevel student, and i find it easy to just boil some pasta or rice, eat it, then get on with my work. I actually find eating an inconvenience! i cant imagine ever actually enjoying it in the way some people describe...

So yeah, im going to give these things a try...slowing down, actually eating at a table...I havent had chance to get us all together yet, but as soon as i do, ill let you both know.

Thanks again

Love-Maxi.Xx

 

our family never ate together...ever. we all went to our seperate rooms and watched tv or something while we ate. (my family never celebrated holidays either). i remember my mother once trying to impliment a "family sit & eat together night" but that didnt even last thru the entire first meal! every one was complaining....