tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post8093202974859972668..comments2023-10-30T08:00:54.059-04:00Comments on Laurel's Leaves: Ritual: it's what's for dinnerLaurel Garverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-45503745693450783392013-02-27T21:28:35.141-05:002013-02-27T21:28:35.141-05:00My experiences eating at friends' houses got m...My experiences eating at friends' houses got me rethinking what I took for granted as normal. There are infinite variations on the simple act of eating dinner. Have fun creating some new ways of doing meals, and I bet you'll have an intriguing set of characters that result. Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-56606423591085778252013-02-27T21:20:30.734-05:002013-02-27T21:20:30.734-05:00Mealtime rituals, as you've probably now concl...Mealtime rituals, as you've probably now concluded, have been a way of building family bonds, so naturally a shared meal is one way you'd represent that in fiction. <br /><br />It's funny that you also recognized the difference between company manners and close family manners. Those kinds of distinctions are always fun in stories--a way of showing when some one is truly on the inside.Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-73436431252855606052013-02-27T17:33:46.002-05:002013-02-27T17:33:46.002-05:00My growing up meals were much like yours, which I ...My growing up meals were much like yours, which I guess is why most of the meals in my books are like that as well. I've tended towards more traditional families, though, so it's worked so far, but I love the idea of really considering how a family would eat and tailoring characters to their situations rather than my own.<br /><br />Great "food" for though!Heidi Willishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18420802651029097379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-69235723269383652702013-02-27T15:48:23.063-05:002013-02-27T15:48:23.063-05:00I loved reading this and some of the comments. I h...I loved reading this and some of the comments. I hadn't thought of eating rituals when I wrote Champion in the Darkness, but it came up because I included a breakfast scene in the first chapter, trying to show the closeness of Clara's family. I didn't even think about why I chose that type of scene, I just did.<br /><br /> My family tried to have dinner together as a family, but my dad's work as an airline mechanic had him working odd shifts. However, we tried to at least eat one meal together a day.<br /><br />These days, as a homeschool mom - I eat all three meals with my kids, and include prayer and conversation. My husband has the kind of job where he can always be home for dinner, and with the exception of busy days, we try to eat at home and together for dinner in an informal dining room. Eating with hands is ok when it's our immediate family, but as soon as a guest comes, it's all forks and knives - even if that guest is one of our daughters' friends. The same applies to burping - we might have a burping contest as an immediate family, but we never do that with anyone else . . . well, except for a few of the cousins. I know it's probably terribly rude, but we laugh about it, and then talk about behavior rules for when guests are present, or when we are visiting someone else's house.<br /><br />I do most of the cooking, but my kids are expected to cook a meal every week . . .sometimes we miss that, but then make up for it with two meals the next week. <br />We always pray, and no one is allowed to read at the table, or text, or play handheld games. <br /><br />Thanks for the invitation to think this through - hopefully I haven't offended anyone with our table manners in our house. Tyrean Martinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15356604721537744361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-59596749169672661462013-02-27T08:38:20.239-05:002013-02-27T08:38:20.239-05:00That is cool--reminiscent of another era, especial...That is cool--reminiscent of another era, especially among the elite (Downton Abbey comes to mind, naturally). Making meals into an artful event does tell you so much about her values--beauty, community, generosity. What a lovely legacy to experience.Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-52821342800021168822013-02-27T08:35:47.227-05:002013-02-27T08:35:47.227-05:00When one is in the position to make decisions, it&...When one is in the position to make decisions, it's interesting what is kept from the past and what is discarded. Those kinds of contrasts can be cool to explore in fiction.Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-9208807408725694172013-02-26T20:32:47.160-05:002013-02-26T20:32:47.160-05:00When I first met my in-laws I was awed by the way ...When I first met my in-laws I was awed by the way they ate dinner. They dressed as if going out and always lit candles on the table. I felt like I'd entered another era. It was an established way of life for them, which they followed even when it was only the two of them at table.<br />My mother-in-law was an impressive hostess, as well. Her parties were elegant,gracious and abundant. She considered the preparation and offering of food to be an art. I don't hold many dinner parties but when I do I try to remember all she taught me. Tricia J. O'Brienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05993110400088806252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-54771810534813466312013-02-26T13:37:41.055-05:002013-02-26T13:37:41.055-05:00Great things to think about in creating your prota...Great things to think about in creating your protagonist and the secondary characters in relation to food or other family traditions that tell us who they are. Thanks for sharing this. And yes, we had way different rituals when I was a kid than we do now that I'm a parent.Natalie Aguirrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03756087804171246660noreply@blogger.com