Loss of Graciousness (from Pandemic? or not?)

 I cannot believe it has been many months since I have written in this blog!

While the Pandemic has affected all of our lives, I was into a somewhat normal routine.....we are

retired, I cook and bake a lot, we kept in touch with Family and Friends via texting, messaging and

FaceTime......but, I started to lose much of my OOOOMPH!

 Where I normally was an energizer bunny filling my day with activities and chores from morning to night......I resumed that damn INSOMNIA.....getting up later and later after a night of lost precious sleep and then trying to "catch up" as the day progressed......hence, my lack of writing in this blog.......

I have been having great fun watching videos relating to cooking......some are so very, very good and others are absolutely laughable.....but kudos to all who put themselves "out there"! I have mentioned this in previous posts. 

One I particularly enjoy is Nicole who does videos for Allrecipes.com.  I really like her approach.

Recently I viewed a video whereby she was going to attempt a "restaurant" dinner at home.  She was going to "zhoozh" it up!  (This may well have been a video from when we were all basically in lockdown and not going out to restaurants)

What totally amazed me was at the beginning of the video she confessed that she was married for 16 years and had never once used her wedding china!  Nor did she own a tablecloth or linen napkins! (She subsequently borrowed them from an Aunt)

When I say I was totally amazed, what I mean is that typically when one is "into" foods, they are also into presentation, table settings, table linens, etc.  The whole nine yards!

When we were first married, we had no money whatsoever.....but if I was serving hot dogs, I had a linen tablecloth, linen napkins and candles on the table.....creating  whatever meager offering there was a proper setting....... as did most of my girlfriends!

I recently viewed a video where a young mother prepared a proper English Breakfast for her family and proudly showed the results......however, what I noticed was there was no tablecloth, no placemats and no napkins!.....

I realize the younger generation want Dishwasher safe china so there is no hand washing involved and many do not want to wash linens.....but, have we come so far down the line with graciousness that our next generation does not even have the knowledge?

I recently became aware of and joined a group on Facebook called The Art of the Table and another  Tables of Elegance - Mastering the Art of Table Setting.......I can't tell you how much fun I am having viewing all the posts and photos.....so right up my alley of interest!!!!

If you have any interest whatsoever in setting a lovely table for the foods you have labored over - check these sites out.........it has totally revived my energy level!