bookbender

Ah, Spring...and yes, it is here (no matter what the weatherman says). Here in the South - and more specifically, to those like myself - I liken the coming of Spring to winning the lottery. Yyyyyyyyyyessssssss! It's here!

Having been 'up here' in Kentucky for the winter, sojourning as I tend to do, I have decided the climate is entirely too arctic for me. No matter the hordes of people who tell me this has been an usually cold season here (or anywhere)...I Want To Go Home! - and 'home' I am going, deeper back into the South, where we have been known to wear shorts and t-shirts to Christmas festivities.

Home, where everyone speaks English (ah-ah: I heard that!), and folks are just Folks. You know? Which reminds me of a story (note: everything reminds me of a story): It is about another Sunday with my folks, to which I may start referring as "dinner theatre":


In my family, Tradition is as Understood and Accepted as those of Topol's family in "Fiddler on the Roof." NOTHING is allowed to deviate from the Norm; if it is, they simply pretend that the aberration does not Exist, or that it did not Happen. An allusion could be made to a Darker side of this family trait, but for now we are dealing with Mealtime...

Only three of us eat together when we gather now, my elder siblings having long since gone away to do their own things, respectively.

My parents are portion-conscious, and will serve the three of us a single pork chop (for example), divided 3 ways and consider it a Fair Meal (adding a potato or two and some green beans, etc). (Hence why no one Else will ever join us for meals; a single pork chop that can be divided 3 ways can also be divided 4 ways, or more!) (Some have suggested that we are constantly Aware of the fact that there are starving folks in China)

But no matter the portion - or no matter the meal - breakfast, lunch or dinner - we set the table as though we are going to serve Royalty. It's almost funny at this point, though I recognize it simply comes from Long years of having a big family and guests over...(or does it?)

Forks on the left, knife and spoon to the right, plate positioned with decorations facing North, napkins folded properly, water glass located above the knife (except for me, because I'm left-handed, and will dutifully do my part to upset my Mother's Process, lol) - by God, we may be having only cereal or soup, but never let it be said that there was no Salad Fork on the table!

I have not broached the term "supper", though in the South this is a common term for the evening meal. And how, you ask, does one know the difference between "dinner" and "supper"? If your meal is Small in the evening, it is "supper". If you are entertaining guests, it is "dinner". Sunday's mid-day meal becomes "dinner", because it is usually the biggest meal of the day! (see how this works? And on holidays, because we here in the South are Big on food, we often have Two dinners in the same day!)

...and we're such a Southern family, having squatted in this particular state and county for over 300 years, what do we serve for Sunday dinner? Yankee pot roast, of course!