Sunday dinner brings families together

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/12/2015 (3645 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Every week, my family and I invite people over for Sunday dinner — family, friends or neighbours. It is an evening of great food, conversation and companionship.

In England in the 1700s, a Sunday roast was the main meal of the week at many a manor house. Served in the early afternoon, a roast would typically be served with Yorkshire pudding and all the glorious fixings like gravy, vegetable dishes and mashed potatoes. It was often considered a reward for the hard work finished that week.

Sunday dinners used to be ubiquitous in Canadian culture. Up to the 1970s or ’80s, even families that weren’t religious would come together once a week for a big meal and just… to be together. Sometimes extended family members or family friends would join in the fun. No matter what, though, parents and kids sat down for one big family meal every week.

We’ve gotten away from this type of connection in our increasingly disconnected digital world. People would rather sit in front of the television or play with electronic devices at mealtimes. With everybody in a family coming and going at different times and engaging in different activities, having a meal with more than one family member at a time can be something of a feat.

Turning off the TV and catching up on the happenings of a busy week is well worth the effort. There’s something special about a meal that ends a long work week and rings in the fresh start to a new week. Having a meal tradition, particularly throughout the cold winter month,s is very grounding and gives each week a special occasion to look forward to.

Preparing this meal doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. Simply cooking a roast, potatoes and vegetables in a slow cooker or casserole dish is a fuss-free way to ensure you have time to socialize with your guests and enjoy the evening.  And while you wait for the roast to cook, nothing makes the house feel more amazing than the scent of dinner cooking.
A meal shared around the table together — sounds like a grand Sunday to me!

Charlene Kroll is a community correspondent for North Kildonan. She can be contacted at krollcharlene@gmail.com