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?

We mostly use trays but the comfortable flat ones, not with bean bags cushion ones. That makes the plate wobble.

I eat at the table and if we're eating at the same time, I prefer we sit at the table.

It's how I grew up and I love family meals all together.

I don't eat on the couch because it's damn uncomfortable!

We've always eaten infront of the tv and not at a table, the last thing I want to do while eating is talk!

Some weird responses on this thread. We eat at the table (only partly) because we don't all fit on the sofa and someone would have to sit on a bean bag! Obviously we are very privileged to be in this position....

My dc class it as a treat to sit on the floor in front of the tv with a pizza. They love a "carpet picnic"! The rest of the time they eat at the table. We are currently using the dining table as a desk for all of us so the dc have a fold up table for meals and I get to eat with a tray in front of the tv in another room, I won't lie, i have loved it! Not looking forward to getting my dining table back when they go back to school.

I will add that my children are all over 7. When they were little we always sat at the table.

Well I'm white privilege and eat at a dinner table with what family is present every single day. AND I would find you common as muck - you asked.

But I think it is a cultural difference, I'm not in the uk and have noticed the tray-eating in front of telly when I have watched TV from uk. Always looked a bit sad. I think it may be coming here, atleast if you are very young and live in small quarters.

What I'm wondering is don't you need to sit down as a family at some times, to bond, to talk, hear about each other's day?
And how do you teach your dc normal dinner conversations, manners and eating habits if they never see adult interactions at a dinner table?

And finally when you are hosting do you just hand out a plate and your guests can fend for themselves where ever they can find seating?

This sounds much more condemning than intended but I really don't get it .

We eat nearly all our meals at the table. I would be wearing my food if I tried to eat off a plate on my lap. I have an amazing ability to chuck my lunch over myself at the best of times.

We have a kitchen and dining table so no need for us to eat with a tray on our laps. I prefer to just sit at the table, during the pandemic we've been able to eat as a family every night and it has been really nice. We have a TV in our open plan kitchen so we sometimes flick the news on or a quiz show and we talk about that, but in general I hate the TV on. However when I was younger and lived by myself I didn't have the space for a table so I had no choice to sit balancing food on my knees, I never liked it - got messy. But each to their own I say.

Every meal at the dining table here. There's a TV on the table at the far end, so we usually watch that while we're eating.

At a pinch we might use the kitchen table.

Married forever, kids adults and independent. Musing on this.. we have never eaten a meal on trays in the lounge. Not even once I don't think.

If you have a table or whatever, why would you not sit there? I can't imagine all sat round the telly with a tray, seems strange to me. But we do have a telly on in the kitchen

I love sitting with my adult DCs round a table and all the banter, miss them soooooo much

@TakeTheCuntOutOfScunthorpe

It's easier using a tray than just having a plate on your lap. Preferably one of those trays with a bean bag underneath.

We only use the table when the meal requires or deserves it. Some things are too messy to risk a tray with, other things are too classy. But eating every meal at a table smacks of unwoke, right-wing white privilege.

Oh my actual god.

Choosing to eat a table - a piece of furniture designed to make eating more comfortable - smacks of right wing privilege?

Utterly utterly utterly utterly batshit.

The tray thing winds me right up with everything sliding everywhere. In front of the Tv on our laps is for tired or super busy days. Normally it’s dinner at the dining table

I don't like it, we sit round the table to eat every meal together, my kids are only 7 and 1 so don't object and we all enjoy it. But I also don't really care how anyone else eats their tea. Do whatever makes your family happy!! (I will say though that I ate every meal in front of the TV as a child and I do feel I missed out on what could have been time spent actually sitting with and talking to my family!)

Roussette, I love sitting with my adult DCs round a table and all the banter, miss them soooooo much

Ditto

We eat at our island. I am clearly the ultimate right wing woke dick. Or summat.

We always have evening meals at the table. The kids usually eat earlier than us though. The kids eat all meals at the table. If they aren't here I have breakfast in the front room!

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

This must be a joke. If not, I think the poster has lost the plot with her too messy, too classy, unwoke right wing nonsense.

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

My god, this is most bizarre thing I've ever read.

strudsespark

But won't it just be fabulous when we can do this again? My DCs are already trying to make plans to all see each other and us ... cannot wait, we'll have a blast!

I like eating at the table because there's no distraction from TV and we can all have a conversation. In a busy life it gives a short chance for everyone to be in the same place and peaceful.

Trays only for finger food. Say, pizza or sushi.

Table dinners tend to be short (teenager), but it is still a good touch point during the day.
Problem is he would probably be more annoyed at having to watch TV instead of being at his desk watching youtube or whatever.

We tend to talk about funny things or his interests.

I prefer standing up to eat. Can tidy up at the same time.

I miss family dinner with my parents at the table. We grew up with that - conversation and no TV at mealtimes. Even now as adults it's no TV and phones at the table when we visit my parents, or they come here. We are neither woke nor right-wing.

I prefer eating on the sofa, I don't usually use a tray though, most of meals tend to be bowls of chilli etc so I just hold them.

Meal times definitely aren't a time for conversation for me, I want to focus on my food!