To ask if anyone else prefer eating their evening meal on a tray?

[FredSoftly]

I have friends who insist that every meal is eaten en famille at the table so everyone can "talk about their day." Then they complain that it's often tense or their teens are moody and uncommunicative.

When I suggest tea on a tray, they gasp in horror!

We often do this in front of the TV and it can make for a nice relaxed evening. We also manage to chat a lot without facing each other across the kitchen table on a nightly basis.

Am I common?

My husband just said ‘what’s the issue with table or trays, both are just flat surfaces to put your plate on’. I do like how men think sometimes

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

I don't own a "salad plate" and couldn't even tell you what one was.

I would have thought that the words 'salad' and "plate* to be descriptive enough.

Well no.
Because I wouldn't put pasta on a plate and call it a "pasta plate". Or Sunday dinner, and then call it a "Sunday dinner plate".

I'd just call it a plate.

So, like the "side plate", for example, I wasn't sure if it was a specific type of plate that I was unaware of, owing to be lack of sophistication and the fact that I eat my dinner on my lap whilst watching The Chase.

*my lack of

There is nothing precarious about it solid armchair, proper cushioned tray? Everything is totally stable.

@SpringisSpinning

There is nothing precarious about it solid armchair, proper cushioned tray? Everything is totally stable.

But... where do you put your salad plate for goodness sake?

@hatedbytheDailyMail

But eating every meal at a table smacks of unwoke, right-wing white privilege

To a fucking lunatic maybe!

But... where do you put your salad plate for goodness sake? grin

I think I love this thread as much as I love chocolate

@RickiTarr

But... where do you put your salad plate for goodness sake? grin

I think I love this thread as much as I love chocolate

😂

I secretly like to eat on my lap. Wouldn't admit this in real life. But it depends what am eating, if am using knife and fork, I will sit at the table. My children always eat at the table, they are young though. I like to eat in peace, when the children are in bed. I also like to watch something. When dh and I eat together, we will eat at the table.
I don't slouch and eat btw, I have to have my back straight and leaning against something, the current chairs we have I find it hard to do this and find when am sitting at the table I have to bend my back forward that I start getting upper back pain and neck pain. We've got our new dining chairs but haven't unpacked them yet as we are waiting for the new table to arrive

Our trays are (gasp) big enough to put two plates on - I often have a bowl of greens alongside a big plate.

They're not just plastic trays balancing precariously, they're have a padded beanbag underside which makes them very stable.

I haven't time to read the whole thread but at people thinking eating at the table is posh!

We eat every night at the table but mainly cause I can't be arsed with the mess DD would make eating on a tray and it's a lot easier eating at a table than sitting with a wobbly tray on your lap!

We're the furthest thing from posh you could imagine as well

No, I hate crouching over a tray trying to cut my food up when I could comfortably do it sitting upright at table.

We often have the TV on when we eat, but the layout of my house makes that easily possible.

You don’t have to crouch to eat your tea on a tray but I suppose you could if you had to.

@Ohclappyyayy

You don’t have to crouch to eat your tea on a tray but I suppose you could if you had to.

I am tall And don't want to spill any gravy/sauce on me.

I just prefer sitting at table. Besides I would rather not spill anything on my settee.

We eat the vast majority of meals at the dining room table
Occasional pizza and movie nights we sit in TV room
Cannot imagine why this makes us privileged

Sorry just had an image of someone sitting like the BFG over their tea

Despite having a dining table and chairs, I always sit on the floor and use the coffee table in the living room. I don't know anyone who uses their dining table daily. For people I know, the dining table is for Christmas/Easter and parties (remember those?)

It’s human nature to feel like our way is the right way. Usually the way we’re brought up. I don’t think there is a divide in terms of money which influences where you eat. And it doesn’t matter. However there’s a lot of disbelief on either side of this debate. Wow you eat at a table, you must be loooaded OR wow, how do you possibly manage to eat off a tray, your sofa must be covered in food and wine and aren’t you crippled from indigestion neither side of the debate is really that hard to believe is it?

I'll eat a sandwich on the settee, but we eat a lot sauced/wet foods, and I would rather eat at table. Curry stains are very difficult to get out of upholstery

I hate eating at the table, I find it so uncomfortable I often just give up on eating the meal so I can leave. I actually think if I had comfortable dining chairs this would change, which is ridiculous but I actually find it exhausting and painful sitting at the table.

We eat pretty much all meals at the table. Occasionally a sandwich or if doing a movie night I'll serve pizza, but since having dcs it just seems easier to be at the table.

We don't tend to plate up meals though, so that makes the logistics of front room eating harder. Id end up putting everything on the dining table anyway.

We do have comfy dining chairs. Im posting sat in one, looking at the remains of dinner I need to clean up...

@Tureen

Can you not eat at a table if you are Black or any other BAME race then?

Well, if tables are the bastion of the woke, as well as the white, I suppose I'm not allowed there either because I do not think transwomen are women, and if someone attempts to designate me as a cis woman over a meal, I will definitely stick a fork in their hand, whether we're sitting at the table or on a sofa.

So if someone disagrees with you you'll attack them. Nice.

It’s like changing a nappy.
Admire people who can do it on their laps.
But prefer a table myself.

We eat most of our main meals at the table.

1. It's got a plastic table cloth - kids - nuff said
2. it's in a kitchen/diner so it's convenient to serve plates to
3. it's in a kitchen/diner so it's convenient for the washing up

It's not white privilege, it is laziness and convenience for me.

Amazed this is so common - especially on mumsnet! Perhaps it's cultural. I'm not from the UK and don't know of any family who does this on a daily basis. I thought it was just a stereotypical American "homer Simpson/tv dinner" thing?

I can only think of one family I used to know who did this (an ex-boyfriend's family) and the only reason they did it was because their house was insanely cluttered and their dining room table was always covered in stuff. My ex used to be mortified having people over because of it. I would be too if my children had friends over for dinner and were expected to eat off their laps as it's just not the done thing here.

However I agree that the conversation/manners argument is ridiculous. My ex's family were absolutely lovely and all very close - just lazy when it came to housekeeping! The dinners were always very tasty though.