JILL F. writes:

I find it interesting that the article by Erica Jong refers to the first “wave” of feminism, as if there were huge crowds of feminists early on. Get real.

The kitchen is an appropriate symbol of motherhood and it stands to reason that those who want to destroy the nurturing woman would attack her hearth. It is from the kitchen that the nourishment of the family flows. Yes, those of us who were raised by working mothers and ate ravioli out of a can often struggle to embrace the necessary mess that being “kitchen centered” entails but a family is really not being nourished unless they spend regular time together, in their home and around their table.

I wish I could find the study on National Merit Scholarship finalists which was completed several decades ago. In an attempt to discover what makes a “smart student”, researchers studied the lives of National Merit Scholarship Finalists. Were they all first generation Americans? No. From families of a certain social strata? No. Students who used certain study habits and techniques? No.

Finally, the answer; the students all came from families who ate dinner together regularly. That was it.

Those of us who struggle to get a meal on the table and get everyone home at the same time should not be surprised at the impact this simple act has on those who engage in it. It takes commitment by all members of the family and respect for the one in charge of the meal. It means family members rearrange their schedules for one another and head toward home! And, once there (apparently), they don’t just shovel down the food and toss the plates in the dishwasher or the fast food wrappers in the trash. They linger! And they converse! And then…sooner than later, they do it all over again. And they are blessed because of it.

— Comments —

Fred Owens writes:

Being in the kitchen is wonderful.

Here’s a photo of my Mom, taken in 1954, when I was 8 years old. She was the real deal. If you had told her she was “strong” she would have been offended. None of that nonsense for her — she had real power.

Jenny writes:

Mr. Owen, your mother’s happy face in the kitchen makes my heart sing. She and countless others like her made and are making the world a better place, one meal at a time. I’m a young housewife and spend the majority of my time in the kitchen; and to me it isn’t drudgery. I can only hope that one day my little boy will look back on a picture of an apron-clad me in the kitchen of his childhood and remember when….

Thank you for sharing the picture.

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