The Seating Chart

The mid century house I grew up in had a galley kitchen, and at one end there was an elevated bar that opened into another room. The second room was intended as a TV room, but my folks actually used it as a formal dining room when my mom found her dining room set. In the dining room, there was a slider that opened to the side yard, an opening that led to the garage and stairs to the second story that was added in the 60's, the opening to the living room, and then a door to the bathroom. It was a postage stamp sized pass through bath with doors to the entry hall and the dining room. A little odd, but we didn't  know any different. 

We hadn't lived in the house long when it was decided that we really needed to modify the elevated "bar" so that it would be more useful as a kitchen table. So dad cut a bigger hole in the wall and lowered the height of the bar, and also wrapped it around one wall of the kitchen. He even laminated the top of it with lovely genuine imitation "wood" formica. It produced a lot more usable space, and when there were just four of us in the family, made a good place for meals, homework, and dad's late night side business. 

I remember many mornings sitting across from my older brother, Ming, and gagging as I watched and LISTENED  to him eat. His favorite breakfast was 4 pieces of cinnamon toast with chocolate milk. He would dip the toast in the milk and take a bite. Repeat for the second bite, and so on. Each piece of toast was consumed in 4 bites. With a grand total of 16 bites each morning. Accompanied by slurping, chewing, clicking jaws.......... well, you get the picture. He never looked at me, and was always engrossed in MAD Magazine while he ate.  It annoyed the fire out of me. Now that I'm older, and know better, I realize that he knew exactly what he was doing, and enjoyed it immensely. Jerk-face.

But then......... little brother came along, and it got interesting around the table. There wasn't room at the main part of the table to put a third child. So, my mom, in her infinite wisdom,  placed little brother in a chair at the wrap around part, which meant he was facing away from everyone else and had only the wall phone and back door for company. Yes folks, the old black rotary phone kept Bunns company at every  meal and we never seemed to find it anymore odd than an entrance to the bathroom from the dining room. As he learned to feed himself, he hated having sticky hands, so mom would sit him down in his yellow vinyl chair, and give him a wet wash cloth to wipe his hands, and we carried on with our hamburger helper or whatever other gourmet item on the menu that particular night.

Poor little kid. But perhaps that explains a lot.........

Eating cake and ice cream at the "breakfast bar." Behind me (in my lovely cat glasses) is the phone that kept little bro company at every meal.

Be not deceived: 

Evil companionships corrupt good morals.

1 Cor. 15:33