Dinner

I pretty much didn't think twice about my family's dinner habits until my friend in 4th grade came over and ate dinner with us.  She seemed surprised about the way we ate dinner - how all the food was just laid out on the table and we could have as many servings as we wanted.  I remember her trying mashed potatoes for the first time and me being incredulous that she had never had them before, while my family ate mashed potatoes every other week or so.  Since then I have been more aware of other people's cultures and habits around the dinner table.  Last time I ate dinner with another family was an interesting experience because of the food served, although dinner table conduct was relatively similar to that of my family.  We ate chili, which my mom just doesn't like so she never cooks it.  My family attempts to have actual family dinners where we sit around the table all together (usually the only time of day we're all together) and have conversations about our days, or about anything interesting that's happened recently.  It can feel boring at times, but it's just how my family is and I'm glad to be a part of this culture.