When I was a child, I mostly enjoyed the Sunday dinner tradition. My nanas, Grampy, and Aunt Catherine would come to our house to enjoy mom's homemade dinner. There was always a flurry of activity beginning with getting a family of eight ready and out the door for Sunday mass, then cooking and preparing the dinner. My nanas, Grampy, and Aunt Catherine would arrive with chocolates. Mom would offer them a glass of wine and cheese and crackers. Sometimes we played cards, and we always shared stories. Then we'd sit down at the dining room table and enjoy the meal.
As a teen, I was less satisfied with the dinners since the event usually cut into teen events I was more interested in attending. Often I would escape to the basement and watch movies. I especially enjoyed musicals. Then, as a young adult, my mom's Sunday dinners occurred less often. My grandparents and Aunt Catherine had passed away, and my parents enjoyed their time adventuring together and with friends and family members. Now, so many years later, a time when my own children are young adults, I've been able to embrace this old time tradition again, a tradition that is especially positive with regard to pandemic limitations. The Sunday dinner gives my parents a chance to venture from their home, and it gives us a good chance to visit and enjoy their company.
Generally I spend Sunday mornings researching recipes, then preparing the dinner. I have found that my parents enjoy traditional meals, the kind of meals they served my grandparents so many years ago so I typically cook a traditional Sunday dinner. Sometimes my daughter-in-law-to-be comes. She's a vegetarian so that challenges me to cook a traditional meal with hardy vegetarian options. We're cooking and eating more vegetarian these days ourselves so this is a good challenge for me. Most of the meals are seasonal matching the fresh foods available at the time, and when possible, we buy most foods from local farm stands or gather the veggies and herbs from our tiny garden.
The Sunday dinner tradition is a good tradition for bringing family members together--a good way to begin or end the week with a delicious meal and wonderful stories. Onward.