We can easily afford to eat out a lot. But just because we can isn't a reason to do so. We seldom eat out. I honestly don't see the point. To me it's frittering away money that I would rather have in the bank.

I used to eat out quite a bit before the virus. Living alone, it was just easier and less waste. Before this started my cupboard and fridge were pretty bare.

I remember the first time I ever ate out-with my parents. We (the kids) got food poisoning. Hamburgers with dill pickles. My mother told us we were allergic to pickles. We almost never ate anywhere and lunch if at all.

As an adult I found it to be expensive and not very good. For really good food you have to go someplace very expensive. I can cook and like doing it. I can usually cook much better food for way less money. When for some reason we have to buy fast food the cost is appalling and the food terrible. Once in a very great while not so bad.

Growing up we never ever ate out. Always home cooked food. Even after married, seldom went out to eat. In my older yeas, yes I did eat out but I do not eat out now. Have not been out of the house for many weeks.

Sue

We live in a small town with several restaurants (it's a tourist town so lots of visitors staying overnight or for a few days), but we rarely eat out as I am a good cook (in fact, I've worked in just about every restaurant in town at one time or another) and I feel guilty paying for the kind of meal I could make myself just as easily for a third of the price.

When we stay at our city apartment which is in an area with lots of good restaurants (which is why we chose to buy there) we do eat out more often as usually we are both there to attend some kind of entertainment- theatre etc- where time is at a premium so it's quicker to eat close to the venue. But I still cook a lot of our meals there as well, even though we could well afford to eat out every night. But again, I feel wasteful eating out when it's the kind of meal I could have made myself for much less cost.

When I was a kid, and a young adult on my own, money was a huge factor in how often we/I ate out. (As I kid I didn't realize it; we were like everyone else in the neighborhood. Looking back, I see my parents' frugality, and am grateful for it.) In DH & my middle, working years, our financial situation improved but we still ate most meals in because we lived where the restaurants were few and not that good (for years, Taco Bell was the only 'ethnic' choice for miles, LOL!). And, frugal habits die hard :-)

I remember conversations at work with women friends who ate in the building's cafe every day. Their attitude was, 'I'm in the workforce instead of being a homemaker so buying lunch is my everyday treat to myself'. Okay, I can dig it -- but the cafe wasn't that tempting! If we'd been surrounded by yummy food trucks and vibrant ethnic starter restaurants, it would have been tempting to join in.

Now that DH and I are retired, content with finances, and living within easy walking/driving distance of tons of great food, we eat out at least three or four times/week.

As a child there were very few restaurants and children were rarely allowed. By the time I hit high school there were roads that had miles of restaurants side-by-side. We ate out as an occasional treat but the generation behind me ate out much more frequently. I know people that their standard is to eat out for lunch everyday instead of in the office and I know some that eat out for weekend meals. For those that are single it can be easier to eat out that to cook for one. Some widowers never learned to cook so they eat most meals out.

After the panic passes it will be difficult to eat out here, I can only think of two restaurants that are considering reopening. The rest announced they are permanently closed. After this, I doubt there will be new restaurants. We were gaining about one new restaurant a year here.

I really thought not eating out during all this would bother me a lot, but it really hasn't. DH is a higher risk person so we're not even doing curbside pickup right now. I would have said we didn't eat out much, but I am saving a lot of money. Due to the uncertainty about future finances, I think the trend of eating at home will continue.

At my job, I ate lunch out of I was traveling (day trips). This was not reimbursed by my employer. I will seriously look at taking my lunch and finding a park to eat. My traveling was to area nursing homes, though, so I probably won't be back in the field for a long time.

I grew up in the burbs of Chicago, and we never ate out. My mom was an excellent cook although it was a job for her. My dad expected a full meal with dessert every night. McDonalds was a treat for us, when they were going out for the evening and she didn't have time to cook. I still rarely eat out. I find most restaurants over serve on portions and things are not cooked healthily like I prefer. I eat mostly salads with chicken on them now, and my husband fends for himself. He usually has some take and bake pizzas in the freezer. Once in awhile I'll make dinner, but I don't enjoy cooking and eating to me is to fuel myself. Boring, I know.

I grew up in the Chicago ‘burbs, too. Our parents took us out to eat every so often. It’s how we learned how to eat out. Not kid-oriented restaurants, either; my dad believed a restaurant should have tablecloths. DH, though, didn’t grow up eating out (too many kids to corral in his family!) so we tend to go only to a couple of places, and not very often.

I do like going out to eat with a girlfriend, though! And THAT is what I am missing right now.

Chisue, DS’s little friend was being picked up by his mom from our house. While he tied his shoes she asked where they should eat that night. I asked, “oh, special occasion?” She replied, like I should know, “We eat out every night.” I mean, really, with “the look”, like “cook? Why would anyone cook?” And I know a chef who also cooks dinner for families in their home, every day.

DH and I tried to remember all the restaurants that existed in our hometowns (Chicago Suburbs) when we were young. He counted five. I counted three.

Small town (pop 2000), southeastern Oklahoma, very early 1960's, I remember two eating establishments, a sit-down cafe and a Tastee Freez (burgers/ soft serve ice cream) drive in. There may have been more; I remember those two because we ate there.

Smaller town (pop 800) mid-late sixties, northwestern Oklahoma, there were three--2 sit down cafes and one seasonal burger/ ice cream joint. Then a fourth sit down opened--ice cream joint, burgers, chicken fried steak, home made chili, etc. Popular with the younger crowd.

During my childhood, parents couldn't afford to take the family out to dinner. Wages weren't that high and families were bigger. I can remember going out to dinner with the family only twice. If you belonged to a "club", you were likely in a higher income bracket anyway. When I began dating, I went out almost every weekend, and I remember most dinners cost about $8.

Eating dinner out through the week, and not infrequently for breakfast (both just as a couple but also with friends) is so much a part of our social pattern that I'm quite surprised how that's not the case for so many of you.

I wonder why that is? For those who don't, do you live in rural areas or small towns where the restaurant choices are limited to fast food and mediocre restaurants? Are better choices not available nearby?

Elmer - I'd much rather go to a friend's home for a BBQ or other meal than meet them at a restaurant for an expensive dinner (or vise-versa). Not just because the restaurant choices are limited around here though. Gathering together for meals and fun at homes is the norm in most circles of the heartland.

i wonder why people on the coasts feel they must go to an expensive, crowded, restaurant to get a good meal and fraternize with friends? I'm not quite surprised though.

Elmer, Last night we had broccoli beef and fruit salad. I thinly slice the beef and marinade it in a sweet home made barbeque sauce and then saute to a medium rare, quick sauté some broccoli and toss in at the end, put over rice, serve with a salad of fresh mango, banana, and pear chunks with a sprinkle of gorgonzola crumbles. It took maybe twenty minutes.

Salt is also an issue. Most places use way too much salt.

When and where do you eat 'out'? -- Chains w/servers but not 'white tablecloth'? More upscale places? Fast-food places? Coffee shops?

How much time do you spend 'at table'? DH and I have several times eaten a simple lunch while watching a nearby table turn over twice -- customers being similar in age to us, not apparently 'on a lunch break'. (These couples people do not converse either, but that's another story!)

Children do need to learn how to behave in a restaurant, but it's inappropriate and futile to try it before they are old enough to sit quietly for 45 minutes. It shouldn't be torture for a child, nor for adults expecting to enjoy a pleasant meal, not be unwilling participants in premature behavioral training.

How much of your 'food budget' goes to groceries and how much to coffee, food, and drinks not prepared/consumed at home (including tips and any transportation/parking or other expenses)? What do you order? (I find portions enormous and often too salty; you too?)

Adding: I do not want to get dressed to go out for breakfast...ever! It's one of the reasons we've enjoyed condo vacations.

It is almost crazy how many restaurants we have in our town, like one on every corner at least! When I was a kid, I remember going out with the family some. I think we went out at least once a month probably, can't really remember. But, we had very few restaurants back in the town I grew up in.

I enjoy eating out because I can then eat food that I can't prepare myself. And I love trying new things, or dishes made in a much better way than I ever could. While I can cook, it's definitely not my favorite activity.

For example, we have a lovely, small French restaurant nearby that is also a patisserie during the day. No tablecloths, a simple wine list, and classic fare like duck confit or cassoulet, dishes we have no interest in taking the time or effort to make at home. The portions are not oversized, and not over-salted.

We usually each order an appetizer (often a soup), a main course, and sometimes share a cheese course afterwards. And we each have a glass of wine - we're not big drinkers, so a bottle would be too much. If we're by ourselves we generally take an hour and a half to eat. If we're with friends, we've been known to close down the place. :-)

lonejack, the pleasure and fun of eating in restaurants is a worldwide human activity. As bookwoman well describes, it's an opportunity to have food that you can't prepare at home with the same expertise as a professional. And to have the experience of doing that in different surroundings.

There's nothing more enjoyable when travelling abroad than to experience local food in a local restaurant. The same experiences can be had for dozens of different food types of different styles all over the US.

There's no need to explain why it's such a popular activity, any more than there's a need to explain if it's not something you like to do, but I think your point of view is an outlier. I think people who can afford to eat out and choose not to are missing out. If food isn't something they enjoy, fair enough. But still missing out on the experiences all the same.

bpath -- Well, you *know* how it is here. If you can afford the 'address tax' and the nanny, why would you *cook*? Gosh, the kitchen would stay dirty until 'Ethel' arrives in the morning! A wife needs to keep herself 'fresh', lest eyes wander.

I grew up see-sawing between little and (occasionally) luxury. DH grew up with maids and cooks. We were both 'onlys', and both endured mini-adult childhoods. As adults, we've experienced our share of delicious and sometimes very elaborate meals -- 'out' and at home. It's just more effort than it's worth to us today.

I'm happy for those who DO enjoy food so much, and it's everyone's choice how he spends his time and money. I've just always been an "eat to live" person!

Elmer - my point of view is the normal point of view where I'm from not an outlier.

I do enjoy eating out for lunch once or twice a month with some co-workers. Usually we try something new each time. But several times a week, no. Have zero interest in traveling abroad either. I traveled extensively in my 20s and 30s related to my work. Been there, done that, don't want to do it any more.

Even as a life-long introvert, I miss the casual sociability of eating out. Especially small things, like stopping in for a coffee & cookie and people-watching the college students 'study.' Walking to the brewery's outdoor patio and chatting with whoever sits at the next table, whoever brings their dog. Eventually we'll get back to those pleasures.

The city where I worked had a good variety of restaurants, but the town we lived in at the time had limited choices. When I worked at the office full time, I ate lunch out most days. I remember when I first started it ran around $5.00 per day, later increasing to $10, then $15 and now averaging $20-25. Sometimes lunch was a social time with my partners and associates from my office or friends who worked nearby, or sometimes just alone for a mental break. Either DH or I cooked most nights, but there were times when working late or busy that we would do takeout. We rarely went out for dinner except to meet friends in the city, but vacationed often and ate out a lot then.

Now we live in a resort area, with a very nice variety of restaurants some within walking distance and very few chains. I am now semi-retired and live next door to DD and her family. I cook for all of us most nights and enjoy cooking especially now that I have more time to spend in the kitchen but we also enjoy[ed] going out to eat and often taking DGS, now 3, about one to three times twice a week, counting brunches, lunches or dinner. There are a few restaurants that we wouldn’t take him to, but most are fine. Our favorites are a walkable nice Mexican restaurant, a walkable, casual but pricey steakhouse, a small pricey and creative fine dining French influenced restaurant, two different small farm to table brunch/lunch places, and a couple family friendly pub type restaurants. All are locally owned. During this time, we are trying to order out at least a few times a week to support our local restaurants. We also tip what we would have for in restaurant service.

Kind of like Michael.... I know how to
cook, and love to do so. I seldom go out to eat... I can feed myself
much more economically at home, and will continue to do so. However,
when I go out to the movies with some friends, we would go out... and
we have no plans to do so for the rest of this year. We are all over
63

blfenton, I could afford to eat out
more often... but then I could not afford my yearly trips to where
ever... :)

coleenoz, ditto I feel it would be
wasteful to go out to eat something I could cook just as delicious
myself. But, there are a few things, that I haven't tried to
duplicate, and for those, I like going out to eat.

Elmer I live in Oklahoma City. Plenty
of choices... but I prefer to cook my own, for all the reasons I
mentioned above.

I understand Lonejack. :)

Moni

I love eating out, either with just my spouse or as a social event with a group of friends. I miss that the most in all of this. A good meal, good conversation, laughing with friends...and no clean up at the end.

We have so many really good restaurants with such a wide variety of fabulous food. Love Thai, can't make it to save my life. Fresh seafood, Mexican, French - can't wait for that fun social aspect to be safe again.

For all who mention the restaurants that did not welcome children back in the day. As I recall it, most all places welcomed well-behaved children, even the fancy restaurants.

In NYC where I live, many of us have apartments that are too small for entertaining. Our table seats 4, or a crowded 5, if I bring in a make-up chair from the bedroom. Meanwhile, there are loads of good restaurants, at lots of price levels. We go to restaurants for the food, but also for the space. As someone explained it to me when I moved here, part of the price is "renting" the table.

I think eventually, maybe in the fall when schools return to some sense of normal, restaurant activity will also return to normal.Around here, possibly even earlier. Our cit6 is a really fast growing city with a lot of jobs expected to come in the next several years. There is, and has been, a lot of downtown expansion already, new restaurants, etc. Some of the newer ones may struggle since the6 had just opened when this hit, but there are a lot of young people who go out. It’s hard for us to even get a spot at our old favorites anymore without making reservations very far in advance.

The young parents with school kids involved in sports will go back to fast food because it’s convenient. The parents will be working and claim they have no time to cook, just like before. It’s sad, but I believe it’s true. Not the same when our kids were young, and I was the only working mom on our street. I cooked and somehow we made it work, as I’m sure many of you did. When the kids had parties or sleepovers, we grilled hot dogs or burgers, made popcorn and served koolaid or lemonade as snacks. Everybody was happy. There was one pizza place nearby and a Mexican restaurant further away. Both welcomed kids and ours behaved. It was a big treat to go to those on occasion. It was a big deal when McDonalds opened but I never really liked them.

mojomom -- Gosh is he Three already? Got a picture to share? I've asked the 'how long do you sit at table' without replies thus far. Maybe you'll tell me how long your DGS has been happy in a highchair, even with two doting grands at his command. I remember 'walking' our grandkids many times while we waited to be served. I also remember DDIL removing our DGD to the car when she became overly antsy -- and defiant about it -- at about age four. I'm not sure it's 'worth it' for parents if everyone has to eat and run.

Although people are focusing on the restaurants there is a whole economy that supports them. From the people growing the food. Supplying the equipment and even sharpening the knives. It is these industries that are hardest hit.

Chisue- I immediately picked up on what you said as to maybe going out go eat habitually may have something to do with living paycheck to paycheck. I'm old too, nearing 84 and it never ceases to amaze me at the money people shell out for meals and special coffee. As a child, although I lived in a suburb of a large city, we almost never ate out. I never liked my mother's cooking, but that was all there was. In my later years having a husband and two young children, ( I was lucky enough to stay home until they were in school) we still didn't eat out much, and I didn't enjoy cooking either, but someone had to do it!

I think if people realized just how much they were spending on eating out and those grander coffees, they might want to consider what they would have to fall back on next time they're out of a job.

I'm pleased that both my sons enjoy cooking, and do it regularly for their wives. My younger son is out of work and is making some really great bread, although he's never worked with yeast.

Me, I'm stuck in an "old folks home" where the meals are terrible, even if they are delivered to our rooms as the dining room is closed.

I am always amazed how packed the restaurant parking lots are in the evenings. BF and I both prefer to prepare our meals at home, mostly because we are both very light eaters and the cost of a restaurant meal (and the calories holy crap!) are just not worth it to us. We will do an occasional P.F. Changs (I adore the lettuce wraps), Chipotle bowls or Panera soup - I doubt we hit a restaurant for dinner more than once a month. If it is a special occasion then that's different - no issues with that. And yes I do like to try a place if it looks interesting and is not outrageously priced. But I know we are not the norm because the restaurants are always PACKED. Seems like it's always been like this. Every time they build another restaurant I wonder how it will survive because there are already so many.

Dining while traveling is different experience altogether. I very much enjoy dining out when traveling, and finding good spots to eat is always fun for me. BF would rather let me pick out a place than be concerned with it. He is just NOT a "foodie", by any stretch of the imagination. :-)

Chisue, yes he turned 3 last month. He is usually pretty good in restaurants for at least 45 minutes or so, but DD always brings him quiet entertainment and he is included in conversation. No highchair for him though! He prefers a booster and when given choices selects his order. Most of the restaurants we frequent have booths as well as tables and we’ve found booths are much easier with a little one. I wish I had a recent picture of him out to eat, but I don’t so here are a couple from the last few weeks.

With respect to how long my children could sit at a table, it's hard to remember exactly. What I can say is that I have never left a restaurant because my children needed to leave. I have never been to a restaurant, Michelin starred included, that did not welcome children. Of course those restaurants that serve a zillion bite sized courses would not work for children, they don't really work for me either. One of four favorite restaurants reports that the kitchen starts making mussels as soon as they see our children enter. It's been that way since the early 2000s. Our eldest is now 21.

Oh, there is a hotel we love in San Diego, The Lodge at Torrey Pines, apparently children are not welcome at their fine dining restaurant, but ours were, from the time the youngest was three or four when we started going there. We arrived for dinner one evening (on the early side when we ate out with the boys when they were little) and the hostess could not bring herself to say anything, I guess. The manager came over at the end of the meal and told us what their policy was and how it would not apply to us.

Come to think of it, people used to stop at our table and remark on how the boys behaved pretty often. It was no big deal to us. As I said, more of a cultural expectation. Pamela Drukerman wrote Bringing Up Bébé about the differences between what is expected of children in France versus here, that explains things pretty well.

If I had to guess, I would say we never ate in less than an hour, even when the boys were little. Also, we tend to eat in restaurants that serve home made food. No national chains, no fast food. Mostly local restaurants with freshly prepared meals. Our standard place with the boys when they were little, the Peninsula Creamery, makes everything from scratch, including their own sandwich bread.

As for eating out and budgets, I imagine most people here know what they can afford to spend. I am a competent cook and I would not spend money on dining out at the expense of private school tuition, or travel.

PS Eating out is definitely something I miss. Aside from having interesting food and atmosphere, it's also about a meal with no prep, and no clean up.

" Elmer - I'd much rather go to a friend's home for a BBQ or other meal than meet them at a restaurant for an expensive dinner (or vise-versa). Not just because the restaurant choices are limited around here though. Gathering together for meals and fun at homes is the norm in most circles of the heartland.

and

Elmer - my point of view is the normal point of view where I'm from not an outlier. "

Lonejack, I'll assume that the KC in your name is Kansas City but if not, no matter. I've been to Kansas City a few times. The first time, in early 1980s, meat and potatoes "heatland' food certainly prevailed there as elsewhere in the Midwest. Forget about getting a wine list to order from The second time, in the late 90s, I found that diversity of food and of people had grown and that more current trends had approached. There were plenty of people in restaurants enjoying themselves. And I've seen the same thing in very many "heartland" cities I visited over the years.

We too go to friends' houses for dinner, and they to ours, but we often go out to eat with others too for all the normal reasons.

If you don't like going to restaurants, fine, that's a choice. I've seen too many busy restaurants of all kinds with lots of locals in KC and countless other places in the region to accept that that's the area's "norm". For this discussion, I'd suggest it's just your norm, one among many choices and others make other choices. .

I've eaten out since I was a child.....and in our years before we moved to a more rural environment, we ate out fairly often with friends and just by ourselves. Back in the '70's we could drive to Houston in about 30 minutes, but as years passed, it wasn't worth the hassle of traffic. We had favorite restaurants closer to home and we still ate out at them. In '99 we moved to the bayou and we might grab a bite if we were going to town anyway. Our friends we liked to go out to eat with had died or moved far away. We moved to east Texas last year and haven't found any restsurants we like enough to go more than once. I am sure there must be some we would like, but I would rather cook at home now.

We are 20 miles from town and the roads, though well paved, lack shoulders and wind through heavy forests, up and down hills. At night you have to watch for deer and feral hogs. The locals drive about 10 mph over the speed limit, which is 70. In daytime, logging trucks drive about as fast. We used to go out to eat, just because. Now we would never go unless we just happened to be in town already, and most of the time, we still opt to eat at home.

mojomom -- Oh, thank you! A handsome bundle of energy! And TWO BIG DOGS! You are a busy lady.

Zalco -- Your story bolsters my point. It's why childeren were not welcome in that fine dining establishment, and why yours were *exceptional*! BTW, I admired our DIL for handling her DD so well. DIL makes no empty threats! When DD refused to calm down, she was whisked outside in an instant. (Allowed to return after the lesson was learned. Never happened again.)

maxmom -- Sorry your menu is so bleak! Can you 'order in' once in a while? I agree that most of us 'elders' didn't grow up eating out or did so as adults. Going to a restaurant was 'a treat', not 'ordinary'. I do wonder if the expense is a reason for the lack of retirement savings among those who could easily save (not people unable to save because they can barely fund food and shelter).

I consider going out to eat or meeting someone for a fancy coffee or a beer at the local pub just another form of entertainment and budget for it accordingly. Except when with my nephew, as he refuses to allow anyone to pay for anything when he is present (and he can afford it as well).

I am similar to gardengal. Early in our marriage we decided it would be best to have separate spending accounts. They were ours to spend how and when we wanted. If I wanted a treat of any kind I just budgeted for it if the money was not already there. Eating out has been a normal thing that I have just done without thinking about it.

Elmer the name Lonejack is a very small town east of KCMO that literally is miles from any restaurant other than Sonic which while you can purchase food it does not meet my criteria of being a restaurant.

Thanks maifleur, whether he's there or elsewhere, perhaps that's at the root of his "heartland" view as I had said above about small town or rural settings. Maybe there are few or no good choices where he is so it's not an option. Or he doesn't like restaurants. It's not a regional practice that differs "from the coasts".

I agree with gardengal - going out is a form of entertainment. Very much so.

Chisue, My Junior League chapter spent several years partnering with a local agency to develop and deliver a curriculum about how to make inexpensive nutritious meals at home. The classes were a huge success.

We have plenty of restaurants of all cuisines, at every price level, from one to twenty minutes from home, and we still prefer to eat at home rather than in ANY restaurant. It is not entertainment or fun to go out to eat. It is a chore that must be done from time to time.

" It is not entertainment or fun to go out to eat. It is a chore that must be done from time to time."

Gosh.....a chore? I find that a bit harsh. I sure wouldn't consider it a chore....I find it to be a delight and something I look forward to! We too have many eating out options in my area and there is always something on the menu that appeals to me that I would not bother fixing at home just for myself - shusi, pho, Indian food, pan fried local oysters. Even a good steak or burger, well prepared.

A delight it is, short and sweet.

Prefer my steaks,burgers, and oysters. Everything out is waaaay too salty. Prefer what I fix for any other type of cuisine. It is no trouble to cook a meal for one or two. I do it all the time. I also cook for a crowd when we can have family over.

Yes, it is a chore to eat out.

Just a difference of opinion. And one that I have not found shared by many others.

btw, it IS a PITA to cook a meal for one if you are hankering for something like rack of lamb or roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Even fried chicken or fish and chips! It is far easier to go out for those sorts of meals than it is to go through all the fuss and bother....and countless leftovers.....of fixing it for myself. And I rarely find any good restaurants guilty of serving anything too salty.

For me the chore is coming up with something interesting, tasty, without piles of leftovers and yet easy to fix night after night for a single. That's why I often resort to just soup and a sandwich, popcorn or crackers and cheese and a piece of fruit when at home. Having a great, creative meal served to me that I don't have to cook myself is a pleasure, never a "chore".

What a bizarre notion!!

We enjoy eating out two or three times a week even though I'm a good cook, I like socialization and food in a good restaurant. It's the conversation and laughs and the different scenarios that add to the pleasure. I'm content right now with the lockdown as we have lots of land and woods and places to walk, we just came back from walking the harbor. We are truly blessed.

I grew up going out to dinner maybe once or twice a year. Besides not being able to afford it more often, my dad had a job that required his introverted self to socialize a lot, which meant meals and drinks. Mom went along sometimes, but I'm sure she would have loved to have gone out more often. Dh and I go out to eat about once a week. I finally came to realize only a year or so ago that most young people cook only rarely, instead depending on restaurants and delivered food. Our two oldest like to cook and mostly eat out one or two meals on the weekend only. The third is in ncy and heavily depends on delivered food--that's mostly laziness! I will concede that she has a minute kitchen, but it's only her little ol' self in there.

Growing up, ate out a few times a year, typically to celebrate a special occasion. Both parents worked but we always ate a home cooked meal together as a family.

As newlyweds, DH and I were focused on saving for our future and ate out only occasionally. When the kids were old enough, we'd eat out on occasion but otherwise home cooked meals together. Now, as semi-retirees, we enjoy local international restaurant meals when traveling (approx. 12 weeks/year), but otherwise our preference is, with some exceptions, to eat at home.

Our DD was given an assignment for a college communications course in which she was to choose an occasion and give a talk celebrating the guest(s) of honor. She chose to give her talk at her parent's future 50th anniversary party. This was unbeknownst to DH and I until she gave us the video later as a Christmas gift. In this talk she referenced the importance of our family meals ("every. single. night. no. matter. what.") and how much they meant to her and our son. I had absolutely no idea the impact our family meals had on them until then. (Another mention was our frequent family walks and hikes, referred to as "death marches" at the time, but apparently weren't really all that traumatizing and are activities they continue as adults.)