Page 156 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2024

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story by Holly Harrison and Shannon Stage
Here in the Deep South, a family event of any significance will certainly involve food. From baby showers to funeral, from Sunday dinners to visiting with an out of town relative, there is always food and a little fuss to go along with it.
We also want it “just so” when it is
our turn to host. Sometimes we pull out the good dishes and other times, after agonizing a bit, we decide paper plates will do. We push all the tables in the house together to squeeze everyone in, we find tablecloths or clean sheets, and we put something in the middle of the tables to feel like we have decorated. Maybe we just cut blooms from the yard and put them in an old vase passed down a long time ago or maybe it is just the sauce collection we bring out every time the whole herd comes over. There is not one brand that satisfies everyone! And those bottles are really colorful. Lots of family members gathered around the table, chewing on barbecue or just chewing the fat is one of life’s greatest celebrations, no matter what the occasion.
Every meal at home should be a beautiful celebration. It is the time to
sit down, take a breath, and catch up
with your loved ones. Morning starts
are always hectic and some nights it
might feel like it is all we can do to get something halfway nutritious on the table and get everyone to sit down at the same time. But when we do find those moments to share a meal, we need to recognize how significant that is. Adding small touches to the table will let everyone else know how special you think it is to be together.
Tablescapes do not have to be elaborate to elevate the home dining experience. Most of us do not eat on fine china every night with formal flower arrangements, tall candlesticks with burning tapers, place cards, and fancy-folded napkins. But it is nice to add a little something next to the salt and pepper. Flowers are an easy go-to. Grabbing an inexpensive bunch of flowers from the supermarket and arranging them in any vase you have on hand will look fabulous when nothing in the yard is blooming. Do not judge yourself harshly when you put together a bouquet of flowers. If you
like the way it looks, the arrangement is perfect. Snipping greens from outside and
weaving them down the middle of the table is easy too.
Lighting candles and dimming the
other lights in the room takes the meal
up a notch. Small votives are very casual and easy but every so often think about using the candlesticks you received when you got married but have reserved for fancy occasions. Everything looks better and tastes better in candlelight! An eye- catching bowl flanked by pretty candles or even plants is a nice setting to leave on the table every day. Fill the bowl with fruit, a shell collection, or just leave it empty to be enjoyed as a piece of art. Try not to let it become the catch-all for bills, junk mail, or schoolwork!
Cloth napkins are considered a luxury these days. But they are so much nicer than paper napkins and keep everyone’s hands so much cleaner at the table. Plain white, absorbent cloth napkins can be purchased in bulk. Buy a bunch for everyday use and just throw them in the wash with the rest of the dirty laundry. We agree that paper napkins are easier to deal with and are often good enough but using cloth napkins a day or two
156 | May 2024
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