Twenty-eight Tables

Posted by Beck Tench

Cheers, everyone!

February is over and I’m sad to see it go. The habit I hope we keep, more than eating together at the table, is prioritizing the time to talk with one another every night.

Here are each of our tables:

1. Home – Polenta w/garlicky greens and asparagas
2. Home - Chili cheese veggie dogs with onion rings
3. Out – Thai Cafe just the two of us.
4. Out – The Mint with our monthly dinner clug
5. Home – Chili cheese veggie dogs with onion rings
6. Out – Toast with friends from The Pinhook
7. Home – “Sopa Seca” with guac and salsa and chips
8. Home – Peanut tofu, sauteed kale, mashed potatoes and buttermilk biscuits
9. Home – Leftovers (from tables #7 and #8)
10. Out – Jason’s Deli, just the two of us.
11. Out – Curried green beans, garbanzos and brown rice with Vivian
12. Home – Chili cheese veggie dogs with onion rings
13. Out(ish) – Quick quesadilla at home for Allison; Taco Truck w/Pinhook friends for Beck
14. Home – Homemade pizza
15. Home – Italian veggie sausages with peppers and onions and baked sweet potatoes
16. Home – Leftovers from table #15 plus broccoli
17. Home – Chili cheese veggie dogs with onion rings
18. Home – Polenta w/garlicky greens and asparagas and mozzarella cheese with Beth and Morgan
19. Out – Blue Corn Cafe, just the two of us.
20. Home – Green Tango Salad for Beck; Leftover pizza from table #14 for Allison
21. Out – Jason’s Deli, just the two of us.
22. Home – Breakfast from Guglhupf before Beck’s flight to Ft Worth
23. Dinner Apart – (Beck in Ft. Worth)
24. Dinner Apart – (Beck in Ft. Worth)
25. Home – Chili cheese veggie dogs with onion rings
26. Home – Grilled cheese, tomato soup and green beans
27. Out – Sitar Indian Palace with Shel and Melissa
28. Home – Tempeh, potato and broccoli quesadillas

So, we ate 26 out of 28 dinners together, 17 of which were at home, 7 featured some sort of weenie, 6 were with friends, and 5 were new recipes.

Are you happy you did this experiment?

Without any hesitation, yes. In fact, I think I’ll feel good about this month for years to come.

How have you changed as a result of Twenty-eight Tables?

I realized that it’s easy to prioritize time with Allison every night and that having that time with her makes my whole day better. I also realized, more than ever, that we make a good team.

What was the best and/or worst meal during this experiment?

The worst meal was table #20. Allison was feeling poorly and I was feeling demotivated and the table nearly didn’t happen. But she made it easy to eat together instead of give up, so we did and I’m glad for it.

The best meal was probably the pizza. But it’s moments and personal revelations that stick out as “bests” more than any associated meal.

Will you continue eating dinner at the table every night?

No. Allison and I have deemed hot dogs, pizza and quesadillas as Simpsons’ watchin’ food. But we do plan to eat at the table a lot more than we used to.

Would you recommend others try this experiment?

Absolutely.

–

Thanks to each of my co-experimenters. I hope your February was as special as mine.

p/s. Here are the candles we burned at each of our home-based meals: