There are many things I always took for granted as a kid: that the sun would rise in the east, that the oceans would be salty, that sledding down the hill on the local golf course was the high point of winter (after Christmas of course), and that supper would involve the entire family.   I cannot remember a time when the family did not eat dinner together. 

Since my brother, sister, and I went to the same school, we always had breakfast at the same time.  While this was at an era before there were packaged fast-serve cereals I think joint breakfasts were a convenience for my Mom who was not a morning person.  She felt that her children must have a complete meal at the beginning of the day.  She would dutifully prepare us eggs, bacon or scrapple, toast, and juice.  Since she was usually only partially awake these items frequently were not Good Housekeeping photo ops.  It was not until I went off to school that I found out that bacon was not a black three-inch strip.

For convenience we had lunches together on the weekends and during the summer.  Occasionally my parents would relent since they preferred for us kids to be outside playing than sitting inside, so summer and weekend lunches were more of a free range affair but still supervised by my mom.

Suppers were always the main family event of the day.  Unless one of us was eating at a friend’s house we always ate together.  When my father was away on his sales trips these were relatively informal gatherings around the kitchen table.  When he was home dinner was a more formal affair in the dining room.  We kids set the table, and had to set it properly.  My father sat at one end and my mother at the kitchen end.  Dad served all of the plates while Mom did all of the cooking. My mom was a traditional homemaker while my dad worked.  She was an adventurous cook who explored recipes from around the world.

We even had lit candles at the table.  The ritual marking the end of each meal was to blow them out.  We kids took turns doing this.  It was a constant source of argument as to whose turn it was to extinguish the flames.  Looking back, supper was an Ozzie and Harriet setting before television and, later, Martha Stewart and the Food Network, made such dinners popular. 

I believe that this gathering was an important part of my life.  It was a time for conversation, talking with grownups, learning manners, and exploring new foods. It provided an intense bonding that went beyond the birthday and holiday family meals.  Even as a monosyllabic teenager I recall that this was a comfortable time with comfort food.