well, they were sort of right about the trousers. God, that kitchen! I aspire to the sort of kitchen that was much more common when that film was made, like an illustration from Elizabeth David.
A lot of modern homes seem to dispense with kitchens altogether, beyond the elements of fridge, microwave and dishwasher. And dining tables are a thing of the past. A friend was visiting prospective host families for language students, to assess their suitability. "Where is the dining table?" she asked. The prospective host looked at her as though she were daft. "We eat from our laps in front of the telly," she said. Duh.
I knew an English teacher who used to get upset when the French parents used to ask if their children would eat at table when they visited England. She used to answer "Yes and they have knives and forks too". I'm not sure that it's so true nowadays..
Oh yes, the big console with lots of clunky switches. Not so different from the stuff you still find on old ships... the kitchen is the engine room of the house, after all.
I wonder how much eating habits are changing in France, too? -when I idealised french eating habits relative to english ones with my french colleagues, they were quite disparaging of the way things were going in France. I just found this:
One French person out of two (49 %) takes his/her meal while watching television and the same links were found as with the midday meal (older age groups, lower incomes, rural environment).
Dru:There is a panic about child obesity over here. When I supervise exams (18 to 25 year olds) I’d say 1 in 40 is overweight. People either go to MacDonald’s or they don’t, but it’s very popular. Wow, impressive statistics. I think breakfasts have changed a lot, we can get most cereals nowadays at the supermarket – much better than bread and jam. People watch TV while they eat but the TV is usually placed where you can see it from the table. We have been invited to some houses where the TV is on all the time, even when there are guests. Rob does often eat in front of the TV (he watches the news) whereas I’ve always encouraged the children to eat together with me, at least, at the table. We do an awful lot of talking then which is good for family communication. School lunches are generally three courses, but I’m assured by those who have to eat them that the menus sound better than they taste! We can buy really interesting sandwiches now, which you couldn’t 20 years ago. I think the big French secret to staying slim is eating the main meal in the middle of the day. Lunch times are becoming shorter and shorter so it’s difficult.
We managed to get hold of some baked beans this morning so guess what's for lunch?
I can hardly wait for 2000 AD to sample the meals cooked by robotic machines. As to that gents outfit, WOW, I want one!
Nowadays we have wind up radios, wind up torches, and wind up cell-phones. Now doubt in 2000 we will be able to buy wind up watches and clocks as well!
6 comments:
well, they were sort of right about the trousers. God, that kitchen! I aspire to the sort of kitchen that was much more common when that film was made, like an illustration from Elizabeth David.
A lot of modern homes seem to dispense with kitchens altogether, beyond the elements of fridge, microwave and dishwasher. And dining tables are a thing of the past. A friend was visiting prospective host families for language students, to assess their suitability. "Where is the dining table?" she asked. The prospective host looked at her as though she were daft. "We eat from our laps in front of the telly," she said. Duh.
Dru: Did you notice the phone?
I knew an English teacher who used to get upset when the French parents used to ask if their children would eat at table when they visited England. She used to answer "Yes and they have knives and forks too". I'm not sure that it's so true nowadays..
Oh yes, the big console with lots of clunky switches. Not so different from the stuff you still find on old ships... the kitchen is the engine room of the house, after all.
I wonder how much eating habits are changing in France, too? -when I idealised french eating habits relative to english ones with my french colleagues, they were quite disparaging of the way things were going in France. I just found this:
http://www.inpes.sante.fr/index.asp?page=barometres/English/keyfindings/nutrition96/6.asp
One French person out of two (49 %) takes his/her meal while watching television and the same links were found as with the midday meal (older age groups, lower incomes, rural environment).
Dru:There is a panic about child obesity over here. When I supervise exams (18 to 25 year olds) I’d say 1 in 40 is overweight. People either go to MacDonald’s or they don’t, but it’s very popular. Wow, impressive statistics. I think breakfasts have changed a lot, we can get most cereals nowadays at the supermarket – much better than bread and jam. People watch TV while they eat but the TV is usually placed where you can see it from the table. We have been invited to some houses where the TV is on all the time, even when there are guests. Rob does often eat in front of the TV (he watches the news) whereas I’ve always encouraged the children to eat together with me, at least, at the table. We do an awful lot of talking then which is good for family communication. School lunches are generally three courses, but I’m assured by those who have to eat them that the menus sound better than they taste! We can buy really interesting sandwiches now, which you couldn’t 20 years ago. I think the big French secret to staying slim is eating the main meal in the middle of the day. Lunch times are becoming shorter and shorter so it’s difficult.
We managed to get hold of some baked beans this morning so guess what's for lunch?
I can hardly wait for 2000 AD to sample the meals cooked by robotic machines. As to that gents outfit, WOW, I want one!
Nowadays we have wind up radios, wind up torches, and wind up cell-phones. Now doubt in 2000 we will be able to buy wind up watches and clocks as well!
Keith: I'm still waithing for a ride in a flying car. The gent did look rather snazzy.
Rob was talking about mobile phones the other day and accidently said that perhaps one day you'll be able to make phone calls with then too!
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