Family Dinner

When I was little we would eat at the dining table every night. It was our family time.

No tv, no radio, of course back then no mobiles, but also the landline phone would not be answered during dinner time.

We sat down together, wind down from the busy day that passed and fully enjoyed the delicious meal mum prepared. And for special occasions we’d really dress up, at Christmas even in gowns and dinner jackets.

But above all we talked, shared and laughed.

As kids we could tell our stories, share our adventures of the day, ask our questions and vent our heart if necessary.

There were no taboos, we could address every topic on our mind. We could also freely discuss and disagree with each other as sisters, but also with our parents. Lively discussion was stimulated with being respectful and no swearing as only rules.

That was quite different from the dining table situation at my friends’ places back then and is very different from family dinners I often see nowadays. Ouch, I am feeling a bit old now, but it is true.

When was the last time you went out for dinner and saw people looking at different devices instead of talking with each other. Or maybe you have been guilty of this too??

And even when you look at private dining tables, I often see families not sharing the meal. Schedules are so packed that dinner is consumed in shifts, often with multiple devices on the table or even with a plate on your lap in front of the tv.

I think this is a horrible development. It hurts so many things. It damages the family relationship as without genuine talking to each other you for sure lose track of what the other family members are up to. 

And on the rare occasion that somebody wants to talk, you might miss out on the subtle messaging between the lines, because you lost your routine in really listening.

Last but not least it also takes away the beautiful tradition of enjoying a meal together. Like in really enjoying each other's company, but also appreciating the quality of the food and the time invested in making it.

I can’t blame you for settling for quick fast food type meals if nobody sits down to enjoy and appreciate the effort of cooking a fresh meal with good quality ingredients.

Guess I might even do so…..

But being raised in a family with several chefs and packed with foodies, I always kept the family dinner tradition high. Even on the nights my husband is travelling, I cook for myself and sit down at the table. Some nice background music and maybe a good glass of wine.

I think it is important to take time for dinner; IN EVERY WAY!!

🌱 Take time to choose your ingredients: fresh, locally produced and in season

🧑🏼‍🍳 Take time to cook and make your own basics like vinaigrette, salad dressing and sauces

🍽 Take time to set the table, with a tablecloth or placemats plus napkins and nice glasses

💛 Take time to sit down together, no devices, to tv, maybe some background music but above all the sound of your voices. Talk, laugh, share and create together.

When  a few years ago cancer put a definitive stop to my dream of having a family with children of my own, I honestly questioned what my legacy was worth.

What do I do now with my 150+ years family legacy of knowledge about ingredients, experience with cooking and gardening, plus family values and routines? 

Whom am I gonna share it with now?

And that soul searching brought me to the conclusion that the world is full of people who would love to have that kind of knowledge, to learn to cook fresh, healthy and sustainable meals, to have the support in building their own family legacy.

So, with the words of my mum, I adopted the world full of people who love good food, who like to cook, want to experiment with growing their own vegetables and build a sustainable life on multiple levels from shopping, to cooking, to sharing, to consuming as my children to pass my family legacy on to:

I founded my unique GESHMAK Program.

It is all about cooking from scratch, growing your own, mindfulness, enjoying life, food and each other's company. 

It’s also all about talking, as in real engagement, in the garden, over dinner, at the table, without devices and without taboos. Open conversation, real listening, healthy life in food for the body, food for the brain and food for the heart.

If you also want to recreate some “old-fashioned” family values in a modern way at your home, send me a DM why and we can have a chat about your dreams and how I could help you to reach them.

Love Émely