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Mostly family style. If the dishes don't all fit on the table the extras are on a side table within reach for passing. If I'm alone I just take from the pans to my plate.
For the person looking for hot pads to protect the table I suggest table pads, they can be custom made to any table size and are not very expensive considering that they protect every inch of the table and can be folded and put away when you want the table to show. We had them made years ago, they don't wear out and there's no chance of missing the trivet or whatever pad you use.
few things in life am I very particular about but one of them is table manners.....
so I set the ground rules,,,,about electronics. at the table .. no swearing, spitting, or sneezing all over the food
we say grace,,,usually my sister and I say it memorializing grandmothers/grandfathers that aren't here... (only ancestry the younger ones hear about their elders
anyways...
I get voted to host many family gatherings.... and while I do like buffet style ... (everyone can grab what they want) sometimes we do pass the dishes around the table..
if its real formal....and we want to impress company.....we will get cleaned up and use indoor plumbing,,,
Mostly family style. If the dishes don't all fit on the table the extras are on a side table within reach for passing. If I'm alone I just take from the pans to my plate.
For the person looking for hot pads to protect the table I suggest table pads, they can be custom made to any table size and are not very expensive considering that they protect every inch of the table and can be folded and put away when you want the table to show. We had them made years ago, they don't wear out and there's no chance of missing the trivet or whatever pad you use.
I have a table pad. It's the table CLOTH I'm worried about.
It's interesting reading this thread. I'm guessing that the most informal (grab from the pots on the stove) aficionados and maybe the buffet fans are FAMILY groups. We have zero family and our large dinner groups (10-14 regularly) are all friends. Maybe that distinction is important. I don't know. But what DO know is people get second servings WAY MORE if the food is on the table.
It's family style for all of our meals, whether it's special holiday meals with china, or everyday family meals. Most of the time, it's just hubby and I and we still put the food in bowls to pass, even if we're just sitting at the counter bar. There are usually 6-8 people at our holiday meals. If there were more, I'd go with a buffet.
Growing up, my mom was always "doing" while we were at the table, and didn't sit with us until we were mostly done eating. I hated that and I always sit down with the guests from the start.
It's family style for all of our meals, whether it's special holiday meals with china, or everyday family meals. Most of the time, it's just hubby and I and we still put the food in bowls to pass, even if we're just sitting at the counter bar. There are usually 6-8 people at our holiday meals. If there were more, I'd go with a buffet.
Growing up, my mom was always "doing" while we were at the table, and didn't sit with us until we were mostly done eating. I hated that and I always sit down with the guests from the start.
Good for you. As a guest I am nervous with the hostess hopping around waiting on perfectly capable adults. That is why I like buffet.
Better not turn your back on me while serving or I might get "the vapors."
I'm with mainbrokerman about memorializing our missing loved ones. And I always say a few words of gratitude for all of us still being able to be together. It falls to me because the rest of the family seems to have a reluctance to bring up the dead. Comes from his side of the family. Heh.
I'll get a little formal for the holidays and still sit in the hostess's chair closest to the kitchen but my days of hopping up to refill glasses or get an extra fork are over.
We bring all the food into the dining room and if anyone needs anything from the kitchen one of the adult kids gets it. They are also kind enough to do the clearing and cleaning up.
The rare times when I entertain anyone other than our immediate family it's usually close, longtime friends or relatives so comfort for all is the first rule of the day and you know what it says on the t-shirt ;
I cannot remember the last time I set a table formally... I have all manner of , china, dishes, stems, goblets, glassware & flatware that I have acquired through the years. As I have aged & the family has grown, we no longer "set" a table (and sometimes we don't even set AT the table!). I think it began when grandbabies were babies & toddlers. Food set around counters & stove top and every man for himself. Parents nowadays are less inclined to teach manners & discipline, SO, among my family there is all the disposables. Disposable everything. If the little darlings cannot break anything, then you don't have to teach..... Also (as regards my ageing), the clean-up is easier, faster. These same kids, grandkids, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, etc., are also not real interested in helping in the kitchen (before or after). This is NOT a complaint. Just the way it is. The OLDER I get, I am right in there with them as regards the less formal set-up & the trouble it can be (if you can't beat 'em, join 'em??). I sometimes wish it could be different, but the fellowship means more to me than the way a room or table looks. My pretty tables only lasted until the first food was served. But, I do wonder what will become of all these dishes, etc., when I am no longer around!!
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How else would you enjoy a "pig pickin'"?
