Share Dinner Together
This illustration is part of my Collective Food Wisdom series, for which I asked people across different languages and cultures to share a nugget of food wisdom or advice they’ve received that they continue to carry with them in their kitchen, garden, or life.
This first piece comes from perhaps the most apt of places: my mother, Tracy Penrose.
What is the most useful piece of food wisdom or advice you have ever received?
Mom: Share dinner together as a family or with friends. This allows sharing of thoughts, ideas, and feelings, and getting to know each other better. And it helps food digestion. Sometimes life gets crazy, especially when raising kids, and making a priority of sharing dinner together shows you care about each other.
Who gave it to you?
Mom: I'm pretty sure it was my mom...and she tried to practice this when I was growing up (until I started working in the evenings).
How does it show up in your life?
Mom: I join friends for dinners now. We have get-togethers frequently and rotate houses for hosting. And although family is not around as often, we make a point of planning special meals for holidays. Amazingly, I see family sitting longer at the table after a meal...as if they don't want it to end.
Bonus wisdom
Mom: The most useful [practical] piece of food wisdom came from a friend who showed me how to reheat leftover pizza in a frying pan! It's the Bomb!!
I can testify to the great effort my mom made to gather us around the dinner table. (Thanks, Mom!). I hope your dinner table, too, can be a harbor for recharging and that the food you serve can be a tool for connecting you to community, new and old.
To sink your teeth into more Collective Food Wisdom, and perhaps even hang a reminder of it in your own kitchen, head on over to my shop. Sometimes I sell the originals, too, so make sure you're signed up for my monthly inspiration email to be notified next time they go on sale, and you can snag your favorite.