Mealtime Customs

Family Meals How many of you eat meals together as a family? Eating together is important to a family’s social health How many of you eat meals together as a family?  To help make the most of family meals, it is important to keep a positive mealtime atmosphere and pay attention to the table’s appearance.

Mealtime Atmosphere

What is wrong with these scenarios? How can they be improved? Sierra’s family keeps the TV on during dinner. Dinner at Mark’s house often erupts into complaints and accusations involving Mark, his sister, and their parents. What is wrong with these scenarios? How can they be improved?

An upbeat atmosphere can be as essential to your family’s health as nutritious food What are some interesting topics that you have or can discuss with your family? People who read or watch television as they eat pay little attention to what and how much they eat

Setting the Table

Table settings include the following: How the table looks at mealtime can be as significant as how the people around it behave   Table settings include the following: Tableware- includes any items used for serving and eating food Place setting- the pieces of tableware used by one person to eat a meal Serving pieces- platters, large bowls, and other tableware used for serving food Cover- the arrangement of a place setting for one person

Table-Setting Basics The cover is usually on the table before people sit down to eat. Arrange flatware in the order in which it is used, starting at the outside and working in toward the center The plate goes in the center of the cover, about 1 inch from the edge of the table Forks go on the left of the plate, knives to the right Place spoons to the right of the knives

Place a beverage glass just above the tip of the dinner knife If you have a soup spoon and a teaspoon, you would use the soup spoon first so place the soup spoon to the right of the teaspoon Place a beverage glass just above the tip of the dinner knife The cup and saucer or mug go to the right of the spoon The napkin is usually placed to the left of the fork

Settings for Family Meals Most families choose simple table settings for everyday meals  For most meals, you need at least a dinner plate, fork, knife, teaspoon, and beverage glass Serving Family Meals There are two common styles of serving food, they are family service and plate service

The cover is set with the necessary tableware Family Service   The cover is set with the necessary tableware The food is placed in serving dishes and passed around the table with people helping themselves The main advantage of family service is that people can serve themselves the amount they want

Disadvantages include   Hot dishes left on the table may cool to room temperature allowing bacteria to form Difficult to practice portion control which leads to overeating Excess food left on a plate must be thrown away which wastes both food and money

Plate Service   Plate service is generally used for family meals and in restaurants Food is placed on the plates directly from the containers in which it was cooked and the plates are then brought to the table The only exception is salad Plate service saves cleanup time more than family service does

If a basket it used, line it with a napkin General Guidelines   Place breads and rolls on a plate or in a basket and pass it around the table If a basket it used, line it with a napkin Serve salads either in individual bowls at each place setting or in a serving bowl that is to be passed around the table

Salad dressing should be served separately so that people can use the amount that they want   Serve dessert after the dinner plates, salad bowls, and serving dishes have been cleared from the table