Page 158 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2021

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The
Dining Room
story and photos courtesy of Holly Harrison and Shannon Stage
Remember when a dining room was a sacred place?
It was full of items you could not touch when you were a child except on special days, when the pretty linens came out of drawers and the good china was set around the table. Hours were spent cooking favorite family recipes and then everyone got cleaned up, and children were reminded to use their best manners.
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May 2021
It might have been a holiday or a family birthday, but it really didn’t matter why you were together just that you were together. After a blessing that always seemed to go on a little too long, the feasting would begin. Bowls and platters would be passed around and between bites the stories would begin. Laughter would erupt and, in that moment, you knew you belonged to this colorful band of kinfolk.
Times have changed and many houses have lost the private dining room to
the popular open oor plan where the
kitchen, dining, and living areas ow seamlessly one to another. Kitchens
have gotten bigger to accommodate entertaining and the formal dining
room of the past century has all but disappeared. Families are more on-the-go, mealtime has shrunk, and there are far more distractions. When we do sit down to a meal, it is more casual and everything about it is less fussy.
Until now. The fact is that the pandemic forced us to rethink what we are eating. More people in the family are sharing cooking duties, we are exploring new