Whining while Dining

Not a chance. Because I am in our family's favorite hang-out --- the dining room. It is a place where we bond, share ideas, argue even, or perhaps, discuss while having family meetings, and of course, do our favorite thing --- eat. But dining is more than just the food. It is more like savoring the comfort of finding everything in its proper place. The dinner ware, the cutlery, all that glass, and stem ware. The whole gamut of items that make dining a living pleasure.

Talk about the oven that toasts the morning bread, and the popcorn popper enough to make midnight snacks truly comforting; or the ice cream maker for those very simply delightful sherbets; the coffee maker that has brewed dozens of fragrant coffee concoctions. And what about the pots and pans that help create those special cooking moments? The grill? Yes, and at times sinful as well as unhealthy. Prefer something more nutritious? Try the convection oven. Want to make the food easier to digest, the pressure cooker will do the job.

The dining area is where our dining table resides. It is made of rattan, oblonged shaped and seats six. It is old. Very true, having seen our family through 27 years of good times. Yes, there were bad times too. It has served us well, witnessed how our family grew, having been acquired almost at the same time my third child was born. Recently, re-varnished I think it needs another make-over. I wish.

The fact is I do love my dining furniture. I would hate to see them go so even if we get enough cash to buy us new ones, we'll manage to find a place for the old reliables where they will continue to stay and enjoy the company, good conversation --- the laughter and the love. It defines a home's ambiance. Is happy dining equal to happy diners, then? Let those pretty embroidered table linens reinforce the dining glee. The dining place is where meals get planned, served and feasted upon by people closest to the heart.

Cheers!

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