Eat and keep on movin'
Leave it to Martha Stewart (marthastewart.com)
I loathe sit-down dinners, unless we’re at a restaurant being waited on. I much prefer the type of meal where people are standing around, at a counter/table, holding their plates and having casual conversation for the 20 minutes or so it (should) take us to eat our food. In my opinion, of course.
Like a cocktail hour every day.
And, if you disagree with me so far, I get it — because there are some possible downsides to eating whilst standing, like the possibilities of bloating, overeating and being hungrier faster, due to faster digestion. However, eating while standing may also reduce heartburn and reflux. So…just ditch the barstool for All You Can Eat Wings Night, eh?
Sit-down dinners just make me antsy. I don’t know why. I almost feel trapped somehow. I never had a bad dinner experience or was told to sit at the table until I finished my meal growing up, so I can’t even blame it on childhood trauma. And, we’ve all had uncomfortable and/or awkward dinner conversations, right? I really feel like sooo many arguments and family quarrels are a direct result of being ‘forced’ to sit at a table for far too long. Like going against human nature.
I just think sitting down and staring at your plate and the people around you for a regular ol’ dinner just feels like a bigger deal than it should be, if that makes sense. It’s not like it’s Thanksgiving…it’s a Tuesday in March. So…eat and move on with your evening. I get that some families take this time to catch up with each other and talk about a bunch of stuff before their kids run and hide in their bedrooms for the rest of the night or something, and maybe I’ll feel differently when my son is older. Maybe not, too.
ALSO — major kudos to you if you make an elaborate, different dinner every night from a Pinterest board. I don’t have that in me. I’m usually rotating something in the Crockpot, pasta and sauce, taco night, takeout and plain ol’ chicken and veggies on a regular basis. I don’t particularly like to cook. I do get spurts, though, and I’ve tried to like it, and I’ll probably keep trying for the rest of my life. I just can’t make any guarantees it’ll ever click.
I also find grazing foods are perfect for my ideal eating lifestyle. Like, a platter of meats, cheeses, breads, vegetables and fruits? Gimme. All day. Every day.
Hmm. All of this also makes me realize if I were an animal, I’d definitely be some sort of migrating herd animal. I do love elephants. Elephants probably hate sitting at tables, too.
As evidenced by the video. :)