Do you always eat at the dining table?

[SylvesterTheCat]

DP and I eat breakfast (not always together) and lunch at the table but have dinner in front of the telly on trays
But now that we have a DC about to start on solids I think I'd like to start having "dinner as a family" at The Table. Thoughts?

Sat on couch in front of telly here as i have no space for a dining table. Ds has a wee table from ikea he sits at for dinner and to draw pictures

Always at the table. House rule - no food outside of the kitchen/dining room. Kids make a mess when eating so unless you want to keep buying new sofas and carpets I'd contain where you eat. And family eating together is a joyful time and really important as they grow older. And definitely no food in the bedroom although teenagers don't seem to understand this rule

Always and tv and music off. And now the dcs are teens it's where we have our best chats - so glad we persevered with it.

God no! Once a week maximum we all eat together round the table.

We even eat a takeaway at the table, it's not a punishment! Changing seating position a few years ago made a huge difference to family dynamics...we decided to shake things up and encouraged everyone to sit somewhere different - dh and I sit beside each other now - so we talk less to each other and more with the kids.

I think dinner at the table is a must. It’s a lovely time to talk about what everyone has been up to and just generally catch up. At dinner time the phones go away and the television goes off.

We have a dining room but only eat in there on Christmas day or if we have visitors.
Rest of the time we eat dinner at the kitchen table.
DH grew up with a family where no containers on the table. Everything was decanted into little pots. Which then got forgotten about until they grew mould or congealed.

Always at the table. Even if alone. Except when I need to eat toast in bed

Grew up in a plates on knees in front of telly family.
When the children were little we had a bigger house with room for a table and we had a separate room with hard flooring which was easier to clean.
Now we don't have a separate room, the living room is too small for a table and the children are teenagers so its dinners on knees. Soup can still be challenging!

Always, always at the table, with no electronic devices at all. Not sure why, though, as it is rarely the happy, pleasant, chatty experience I remember from my own childhood - more a case of WW3 between the DC, and arguments over who has had one more tomato than another, following by silence, sulking, flouncing off etc. They are teenagers, so ought to know better.

Normally on our laps. At the table for Sunday dinner though.

Nothing gets ruined

Eat every evening meal at the table.

I prefer to eat at the table. I don't particularly like 'lounge/diners' but am stuck with one. One advantage is that you can eat at the table and watch tv at the same time.

Bizarrely high proportion of people claiming to always eat at the table! Reminds me of my ex DH who regarded location of meals to be some sort of ‘superiority index’.

Since I left him it’s always meals on laps in front of telly apart from Christmas Day.

We eat at the table but I don’t feel superior. It’s a practical thing, I don’t want food all over my sofas.

Bizarrely high proportion of people claiming to always eat at the table! Reminds me of my ex DH who regarded location of meals to be some sort of ‘superiority index’.

Why is it a bizarre proportion? What's your data?
And how does it, in any way, relate to a superiority index?

I eat with DS at the table because:
a) for most foods, it's more comfortable than balancing a tray on the knees and finding a place for the glass
b) it's easier to keep the cat away from our food
c) any mess is kept where it's easier to clean
d) it gives us a chance to talk
e) it involves less walking around with food - it's the lazy option
f) it's easier to get more food - no need to plate food.

Are people who eat at the table supposed to lie to make you happier?
How does how other people eat impact on your choice of where you eat?

All meals at the kitchen table except pizza on Saturday night. Nothing to do with superiority more to do with practicality and comfort.

It does make for good family conversations though. I would get rid of my sofa before I got rid of the table.

Tbf I read the thread and thought the same (but opposite) but about the high number of people who don’t

But I guess you get used to typical behaviour of people you know too

Are people who eat at the table supposed to lie to make you happier

WTF?!!

Why is it seen as a 'high proportion' of people eating at the table . I'm not aware of any of my family/friends eating from the sofa, obviously I am not with them for every meal but from what I can tell of their lifestyle they seem to clearly use a kitchen or dining room table for meals.
I don't think it's about superiority or 'family time' bollocks for me, it's just so awkward to eat a 'knife & fork' meal whilst balancing a tray on your knees. I've just had lunch sitting very happily alone at the kitchen table.

It’s about the practicality of it for me too

Every meal at someone else’s house has been at a table - not formal just for play dates etc even

If we had room for a table it would always be there. I'm looking forward to moving so we can have a dining table.

We mostly eat at the table, although that's largely because our lounge is too small to accommodate us all in front of the tv with trays. If DH is working away we eat in the lounge - still manage a conversation and catch up with the DCs. They are teenagers now but still like a chat if they are in the mood.

bizarre proportion
What does this mean?
We have a dining table which we use. Not sure how that is bizarre.

Why is it brizarre to eat meals at the table? It’s quite standard - one of the reasons why we have dining/kitchen tables. In our house 100% of meals at the table with no tv or devices. It’s family time whether it’s just DH and I or DC’s, friends and extended family.