Sunday Eating
My boyfriend is southern and he's always told me that despite his mom not liking to cook, she always makes a point of cooking for him and his step dad on Sunday night. Many of his other friends have stories like this that usually revolve around a big, weekly Sunday meal at a "meemaw's" house or something similar to that. I've always thought it was a lovely thing to do and told him that my family doesn't have anything similar to that, but then I started thinking it over ...
My family doesn't invite a ton of other family members over, but we do have a tendency to make food an all day thing on Sunday's. We won't have a cozy little dinner together, but a lot of food will be made family style and the people in the house kind of spend the day leisurely walking into the kitchen at picking at the food that's been made. Sunday's are kind of this bizarre all-day eating fest.
Does anyone have a Sunday dinner ritual with their families?
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
8 Comments:
The tradition of a big Sunday meal that began as early as 2:00 p.m. as it did at my house is around for a long, long time. It's a shame such things have fallen by the wayside in many homes (alas, mine is one of them).
Ironically, yesterday we attended a big dinner at the home of the president of this Italian Women's club where I belong. (I made tiramisu and hazelnut cookies.) BF asked, "So what time's dinner, 6? 7?" I said, "It's Italian Sunday dinner - it starts at 3 - and even that's late!"
therealchiffonade at 4:55AM on 08/18/08
Danged itchy trigger finger! Our Sunday dinners were anchored almost every week by a big pot of gravy with meatballs, sausage, short ribs, bracciola and yes, even pig's feet and skin. Some type of macaroni was served.
therealchiffonade at 4:56AM on 08/18/08
The Greek side of family (my parents are divorced, I grew up with my non-Greek mother) serves enormous dinners on both Saturday but particularly Sunday, or goes out to eat. Like you say, it's an all-day eating-fest, beginning at 2, with wheels of cheese, cracker, nuts, moving on to baked pasta dishes, roast meats or fishes, bread with olive oil, salad with olive oil, spinach pie and dinner-plate sized desserts and cookies and coffee.
So much for the healthy Mediterranean diet. )
To be honest, I don't enjoy eating that much that early--and so I opt out. However, lots of cultures have a Sunday dinner tradition, from Sunday church potlucks to the English Sunday dinner--I remember, living in England seeing advertisements at Marks and Spencer's for take-out Sunday roasts of beef, Yorkshire pudding, potatoes, and veg, for some reason, or newspaper recipe adverts for that type of spread.
HeartofGlass at 5:20AM on 08/18/08
Sundays here start with church in the morning and then a big Sunday dinner at 2pm. I have 5 children but three live out of state so only two and their family's come, four adults and three grands (along with 3 grand dogs). Dinner usually means a roast, mashed potatoes and two veggies, rolls and dessert. Ocassionally lasagna, stew, a cookout etc.
NanaJoie at 6:12AM on 08/18/08
Well, out here in Cleveland, it's just my husband and I, so I guess we have a big dinner with just the family in Cleveland - the two of us. :)
Even before I moved from Hawaii, we never had Sunday dinners (cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents kind of dinners).
In the last 5 years before I left, the family only got together for lunch on Mother's Day and Christmas, and for dinner on Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve -- pretty much only for the biggest holidays; New Year's being the biggest celebration, since half of the family is Buddhist or agnostic.
When I was a kid, there were more gatherings like Easter, Father's Day, 4th of July, and I'm probably missing something else. By the time I move back, I'm sure the large family gatherings will be whittled down to two per year.
It is a fairly close family, but people go out with each other on their own time, since it is pretty hard for everyone to get together. Everyone in my family is ridiculously wealthy and concentrate their time on their professional/volunteer work and then any time leftover, they spend with their own direct cluster of family/friends. Being the impoverished one in the entire family, I spend a lot of time playing with my husband, cat, and ferret. :P I realize I need to reprioritize my goals and get with the program!
Cassaendra at 8:12AM on 08/18/08
growing up, my mom's sunday dinner was almost always stringy pot roast in the winter. the summer was cookouts, but spring and fall were awesome, sping was fresh veggies served about as close to raw as possible usually with some kind of fish. Fall was great because it was fresh fruit apples usually shapr cheese and whatever else was on hand.
huneybumper at 9:26AM on 08/18/08
As a native of England (now living in Canada) I sometimes miss the traditional Sunday Lunch that my mother would serve up relentlessly every week. If my friend are lucky I will treat them to this traditional affair: roast beef, yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, carrots, peas, broccoli all smothered in delicious homemade gravy. mmm....
bircham at 7:19PM on 08/18/08
Best friend's house:
Mass and then a huge Italian dinner with all the family.
My family:
Practicing our manners - even the little ones got a wine glass, water glass -- and mom would make an amazing meal - something that she had out and tried out on us.
Wonderfu memories. Don't know many people who get together like this weekly.
Nonny at 10:05PM on 08/18/08