In our family we’re far more likely to settle down on the sofa to see what Gary Barlow has to say than gather round a roast chicken at lunch time. But have we lost an important tradition?
X Factor has been a bit of a guilty pleasure for my family and I for a few seasons now. We get cosy on the sofa –- usually with some form of takeaway tucker –- and watch the hopeless hopefuls singing their hearts out.
But now, it seems, the rest of the country has got in on the act and it’s now rivalling the traditional Sunday lunch for the best kind of family togetherness.
Marks and Spencer – retail of choice for the middle classes – has thrown their mighty advertising weight behind it with an ad featuring all the contestants (but lately minus Frankie Cocozza) being shown during the show.
Not just any TV dinner...
M&S chief executive Marc Bolland said: “Saturday evening has become the Sunday lunch moment. They sit down, watch TV, share a meal and drink wine.”He said his company was determined to “own the territory of Saturday” by trying to persuade us to eat their food while we view.
But is Saturday’s telly viewing really a good substitute for a proper Sunday lunch? Maybe we should get back to waiting hungrily for someone to beat the lumps out of the gravy in the middle of the following day.
Here’s why we can’t let “it’s not just a Saturday night watching telly, it’s an M&S Saturday night watching telly” become more important than a roast dinner.
Preserving proper family meals
Conversation is more than just passing comment on what exactly Tulisa thinks she’s come as tonight. Sitting around a proper dinner table means conversation flows.
Cooking is more than just doing the prick ping boogie on a ready meal, even if it is from M&S. Even if you don’t do it every week, it’s still worthwhile making a proper feast from scratch once in a while, just to prove you can. Kids need to know what real food is too.
TV dinners don’t help table manners. You can’t teach or learn the ways of cutlery, table manners and etiquette if you’re balancing a plate on your lap. It’s important to know what the rules are, even if you don’t follow them all the time.
Not everything worthwhile has a TV show, computer game or collectable with it. Sometimes it seems that whatever way you turn there is something commercial going on and trying to persuade you to open your purse. Some family time with the TV off might help redress this.
The more I think about it, the more important I see it is to get the oven on and make us all a proper Sunday lunch. Even if we’re all going to sit around and speculate about who’s going to get put off the show that evening.
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05 December, 2011
Great post Ellen! I must admit that when it's cold outside and it's a Saturday evening, there is only one place you are going to find me :-) My children have just started watching a bit of Strictly with me, they are still young so are in bed by 7.30pm on Saturdays (and that's staying up late for them!). I quite like the idea of sharing good old Saturday night telly with them, it gives us a chance to sit on the couch and snuggle, and I get to hear their views on something we don't normally discuss. I am also however a big fan of family meals and because my husband works shifts it's often just me and the kids at dinnertime. We always sit at the table, and I like to take that time to ask them about their day, and just generally chat about stuff. I won't rule out the odd TV dinner for when they are older, and we can be a bit more relaxed about dinnertimes.
Roll on Christmas telly!
Leigh
Ready for Ten Team