Tables Of The World
Family Meals - in association with Northumbrian Water
In today's multicultural society, the main family meal can be a very different affair depending on your background. We asked four readers to give us an insight into how their family sits down to eat
Mum's Chicken Soup
Sabbath starts when we see the first star, which can make for a very late meal in mid-Summer. I like to set the table nicely with a tablecloth and good china and cutlery. Just before we bring the meal in, we light candles and make a blessing over wine and then make a blessing over the bread. We break the bread and everyone at the table has a piece. I always make something special on a Friday, for example a clear chicken soup with dumplings followed by roast chicken and a dessert, which is usually fruit. My children used to complain about not being allowed out on a Friday evening, but I think now they know it was a good thing to get round the table and talk about the week.
Dr Pat Spungin - Founder www.raisingkids.co.uk
Respect The Old
A special meal for me is the Chinese New Year dinner which we usually celebrate on New Year's Eve with a huge family gathering. The table is laden with treats such as roast duck, roast pork, auspicious vegetable dishes, soups, desserts! There's always long noodles, which signify longevity, which are not cut smaller but to be slurped in long strands as cutting it would mean cutting the luck! Traditionally, the younger family members have to ask the elders to eat first before they can tuck in which is a very long hungry process if you are one of the youngest! At the end of the feast, the young eagerly await the handing out of red packets or 'ang pows' containing money for luck usually in multiples of 8 (which in chinese sounds like prosperity). It's not so good if you are older as you have to give out the red packets!
Yvonne Soo, banker
Potatoes Every Which Way
My wife's part-Irish, so when her parents come over to visit, someone in the family always hosts a massive Sunday lunch. The main aim, as far as I can see, is for the table to be on the point of collapse with all the food on it. Meat is always important, but there has to be at least two different kinds of potatoes as well, or everyone complains. Conversation is of the gladiatorial variety - you have to be loud and fast to get your point across. It's very different to the meals of my childhood, but I enjoy all the noise and chaos.
Stephen Barber, consultant
The Spice Of Life
A West Indian family meal could test the strength of suspension bridges. A family meal is not made on the day people are coming to dine. If you're pressed for time you start preparations at least two days before, when the marinating of chicken, goat, beef and fish takes place. Seasoning is all-important. Salt and black pepper alone won't do. Most dishes require cayenne pepper, chilli pepper, a Jolly Green Giant-size pinch of salt and onions the size of cricket balls, chopped big enough to stop heavy doors closing. The youngest to the oldest is expected to sample all the food prepared and "No I don't like this" is no excuse to get out of trying something. You don't want to offend the cooks. The day of the meal starts early and ends late with people arriving many hours after they were told to get there. No one leaves a Jamaican family meal hungry or sad.
Graham Pinnock, childminder.
