Nancy Fuller - Farmhouse rules: simple, seasonal meals for the whole family

FAMILIAR CHILDHOOD TASTES GIVE US A PLACE TO BELONG: THEY BEAR WITNESS TO OUR LIVES.

MONICA BHIDE

MANNERS MAKETH THE MAN

Sitting down to dinner with your family is just about the most important thing you can do at the end of the day, and proper manners are of utmost importance when you gather around the table. When I was raising my six children, having dinner together was mandatory. Each member of my family had their own cloth napkin and pewter napkin ring with their initials engraved on it! Today, my grandchildren use their parents napkin rings. Its a tradition in our family. You can adopt this one or create your ownwhatever gets them to the table!

As I was growing up, we stood behind our chairs at the dinner table until my mother sat down. Then, everyone sat down and put their napkin on their lap, and no one picked up their fork until my mother picked up her fork and began to eat. That is just the way it was! My mothers mother taught her proper manners, my mother taught me, and I taught my children. And now, Im teaching my grandchildren.

I have two stories, one mine and the other from my eldest child, Abby, that really demonstrate the importance of manners. First, here is mine: I was about 16 years old when my great-aunt Jo gave me a bracelet for Christmas. She had always given me a gift, and each year I had always written a thank-you note, prompted by my mother. The year of the bracelet I forgot to write her a thank-you noteand I never received another gift. Its something Ive never forgotten, and it was a lesson well learned! Thank-you notes are just so important. If someone cares enough about you to give you a gift, out of respect alone, you thank that person for caring about you. Everyone wants to be cared for!

And Abby remembers being rude to guests in our home who had come for dinner many years ago: When they left, you made me call them and apologize. This was hard to do, but I did it and they appreciated it. Its something Ive never forgotten.

Manners make your first impression and keep you in the good graces of others. If practicing manners is new for you, rest assured that its never too late to learn. When it comes to manners, you can always teach old dogs new tricks!

IF YOU TEACH A CHILD THE RIGHT WAY TO EAT FOOD, THEY WILL GROW UP EATING THE RIGHT FOOD.

ALICE WATERS

1. Always sit down at the dinner table.

2. It all begins with a napkin.

3. At the table, always behave and sit still. Do not get up to take a phone call during dinner. And dont let your kids run around.

4. Put your napkin on your lap as soon as you are seated at the dinner table.

5. Always sit up straight. When eating, be sure to raise your fork to your mouth. Do not lean down to your plate.

6. Mable, Mable, strong and able, keep your elbows off the table.

7. Never start eating until the hostess has picked up her fork.