Once upon a time I ticked a box that gave me a weekly newsletter from a Canadian food site, http://www.oneroastvegetable.com/ .
This week they wrote about the lost art of dinner and the necessity of once a week having the family sit down to a nice home cooked meal at the dining room table which has been attractively set with candles, napkins, the full works. That's a lovely idea, encouraging people to make dinner a time of meeting and communication, seen so little these days but always one of my favorite times in days gone by.
But the newsletter made me want to stand up and throw my arms wide and sing "What about me" like the chap in the insurance ad as he surveys others rolling their cars and having accidents
Don't forget we live-alone oldies. We need a different kind of mealtime.
My dinnertime is spent surrounded by all the things I might need for my entertainment for the next hour or two - TV program and remote controls, cryptic crossword with one word still missing, my current book to read, and the current embroidery to continue, extremely good lighting and a radio - anything that keeps the mind occupied. Dinnertime is not a time to emphasize aloneness. And forget the candles - I need decent lighting and if I used a candle I'd probably end up burning the place down.
To cap off the above food for the mind is some food for the tummy. Tonight, at the start of the cold weather, a hearty Australian beef stew loaded with vegetables and served with mashed potato, followed by a meringue with black coffee. It was quite yummy.
Conversation is a wonderful accompaniment to a meal but when that is not possible one needs a different kind of company.
