Survey #253—Full Response from Barbara
| Pronouns | She/her |
|---|---|
| Which of the following statements describe your living situation with respect to a dining room and dining-room furniture? |
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| Please complete the following statement: “Members of my household and I eat most of our meals _____.” | Sitting at the dining room table. |
| Please complete the following statement: “When I want to entertain guests for a meal, we usually eat _____.” | At dining room table in the dining area of the living space. But because my apartment is small, I don’t have guests very often. I’ve lived in 12 different homes. About half had formal dining rooms and I used them for guests and Sunday or holiday dinners. |
| What feelings or memories—positive, negative, or in-between—does the phrase “dining room” evoke for you? How have your attitudes, beliefs, or practices around dining and entertaining changed over time? What impact, if any, do dining and entertaining have on the clutter in your space? | Setting a nice table is a family value—something my mother felt was important despite feeding eight kids day after day. And it’s a trait shared by my siblings and children. It’s easier when there’s a dining room and when I think of my family’s homes, they all have dining rooms and use them. But things change and not every one has the same values. If you don’t use the dining room for dining, it makes sense to use it for another purpose. Downsizing and aging have affected how much I would use a dining room. I no longer entertain at home except for a few friends or small family meals. My china cabinet now stores my liquor, table linens and vases with wine glasses and decorative items on the shelves. But I still eat at the dining table with grocery store flowers and candles in the winter even though it’s now just an area in my living room. |
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