TV Dinners Require TV Trays
By Never teh BrideAnd by TV dinners I of course mean dinners eaten in front of the television, which is how most meals in my home are consumed, much to my horror. I’m enjoying it while I can — once my children are old enough to appreciate the whole family thing, dinners will be consumed as a family at the kitchen table. We don’t have a dining room, or else I suppose we’d be eating in it. For now, The Beard and I balance our dinner plates on our knees with our feet on the coffee table in the den. Ah, childfree living…I shall miss you.
Maybe I should get one of these sweet retro TV trays from Koo Koo Bear while I still can? Okay, maybe not in this economy. Like Twistie and I were saying the other day, the houses in our heads are getting upgrades while the houses we actually live in will have to do that much longer. For now, answer me this:
November 13th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
We actually have a dining room…in theory. Since Mr. Twistie has commandeered the living room for a professional studio-worth of instruments and recording equipment, the dining room functions as our living room, my office, the entertainment center, and (when I can find an inch for it) my lacemaking spot.
We also have a kitchen table. It houses Mr. Twistie’s computer, all the paperwork for his band and his record label, and myriad Mr. Twistie projects.
Dinner happens in front of the television by default.
In my dreams, dinner happens in the dining room and we invite friends over often. Oh, and there’s a permanent spot with good lighting where I can toss bobbins to my heart’s content. And I have room to prepare real feasts in my kitchen.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
We have two sets of TV trays, both bought “vintage” i.e. used, both with the original color and artwork. Sets of 4 can be had for under $20 at yard sales! I do treasure the older of my two sets: I have the matching tray stand, and they’re black with a white and turquoise pattern that is kind of floral, kind of 50s modern.
November 14th, 2008 at 6:46 am
I wallow in the smug superiority of eating at a dining room table that has a clear view of the tv.
November 14th, 2008 at 6:51 am
We usually eat at the kitchen table, though we do have a dining room used fairly often when friends come for dinner. Once a week or so we’ll have pizza in front of the TV watching a movie. It’s not an exciting life, but it is ours….
November 15th, 2008 at 11:20 am
I grew up with TV trays that were shorter, more like breakfast in bed trays that rest on the couch itself, so that you could sit back and put your feet up without plate-balancing. Now we have a futon with arms wide and long enough to hold a wine glass, water glass, and plate whenever we’re not actively eating from it. The dining room table lives in the kitchen, so that we can have the actual dining room as a dance studio and cat playground.
November 18th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Twistie: I actually did not mind the fact that my house has no dining room. If we had one, we’d probably just turn it into a craft/project room!
Kai Jones: Awesome!
JR: You are the clear winner here.
Carol: Well, you can take solace in the fact that you’re more civilized than we are
We do plan to move to the table with the baby in my belly gets to be old enough to understand the whole ‘eating at the table like a family’ vibe.
Barb: I was to convert a part of my basement into a dance studio for me, but that’s not happening any time soon. The previous owners of my home turned the finished part of the basement into a dining room…which struck me as being pretty weird.
November 23rd, 2008 at 4:52 am
Where is the poll option for “in front of the computer, like every meal?”
November 23rd, 2008 at 9:02 pm
As I was reading your comment, raincoaster, I was eating my dinner. I should indeed have included the option.