The importance of food in this essay is that it was a means to bring the family together. They would all come sit at the table together and eat. It was a way for them to spend time together. His mother would even come and sit at the table when her health was failing. Even though she didn't really eat the food, she still joined the family at the table. This was time for them to have family "bonding" time. As the narrator said, "The point was simply to sit together and array ourselves like a family again." (p.123) They hadn't been all living in the home for quite some time, but him and his sister had moved back into their parents' home after his mother got diagnosed with stomach cancer. They knew that they did not have much time left with their mother, so they wanted to take advantage of the last little bit of time they had to act like a family.
I wish that my family had sat at the dinner table all together when I was growing up. We did sometimes, but it was never consistent. Most of the time my mom and dad would eat their dinner in front of the television in the family room, and my sister and I would eat our dinner in front of the television in the living room. Now that I have children of my own, I want to break these habits. We try to sit at the kitchen table for dinner every night. We have the television on in the other room, but my children are positioned at the table so that they cannot see it. We mainly leave the television on for background noise. As my children get older, I want to use this time to talk to them and find out how their day has gone.
Hi Michelle,
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how something as simple as eating dinner as a family can have a lasting impact on a family and children's identities.
Your post has me thinking about the family's attempt to be "normal" and to do the things they always did before his mother was diagnosed. There's comfort in doing the same things, and this family is trying to find some comfort in the face of the mother's approaching death through the "normal" things they used to do.
Of course, there's nothing "normal" about the situation, and everyone is aware of it, but they're still trying for their mother's sake and for their own.
Thanks for your insights.
Take care,
Lauren
I too responded to the question of the signifigence of food in the story ....I think in alot of families food is somewhat of the mold that brings them together as to where without it they would all almost live seperate lives otherwise
ReplyDeletethanks for the reading !!
Daye
Hi, i know how important it to have family bonding time. It's precious, and it shouldn't be waste. The mother did everything to bring the family together, They would be apart at some point but it didnt last forever. She was their world and they were hers. She made everyone seemed important and her food made it better. The son sat watching her cook, and later he used that of his kknowloedge to cook for her. He was a proud son and his mother must have been very proud of him before she passed away, As it was close to her death, the family were all together, she didnt have any regrets. She passed away peacefully! Thanks for writing, I enjoyed reading this!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lesley
Hi Michelle
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me how important food really is in a person’s life if you think about it. In this family case, it meant something more than just putting food on the table. They used it to communicate to each other, love on one another and they even used it as a tool to reach out to their neighbors. I love how this family came home to live all together, before their mom died. In fact I wish we all lived together now like families use to back in the olden days. I love that whole generational thing. I believe that we miss out on so much now because we all live so far from one another. At least this family was able to share so food, love, memories and honesty before the mom went home.
I must say that I was very fortunate I sat around the dinner table with my family every night as I was growing up. My husband did the same in fact my husband’s mom is Korean; so this story hit quite close to home. Even though my husband was adopted he had a lot of the same traditions that any Korean family might have, but he can’t cook. We now share those traditions like making food a very important part of our family as well. We have always sat together as a family for dinner ever since our kids were little. I must say that I am so blessed that we did because my sweet son David moved to heaven when he was 9 years old and I hold on to all those memories that we shared at the dinner table together. .
Take care Stacy
Hi Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI think that you are right, his family would join at the table for bonding time, it was there only time to get together and talk and see how each other was doing. I think it was a way for all of them to feel like they were giving time to there mother and showing respect to her, especially her son, he loved to cook and loved to prepare the meals that she used to cook.
As a child growing up, we we would have to sit at the table every night as a family, As a child I hated it, man I knew that was the time for conversation, i especially hated it when if I knew that I got in trouble that day! But know looking back I think it kept us all bonded and on the same page at the end of the day, now I have a family and we eat all at the table, my daughter is 5 and as of right now she loves it because its her time to talk about her day and whats going on. But I am sure that over time that will change. :) Hope not though!
Emily