Influencers and Tablecloths

It has been a strange week, full of highs and lows, with people both lost and gained, full of new places and adventures, whilst also taking comfort from the old.

I was particularly distressed to read of the latest TikTok dinner hack. This involves dumping the meal directly onto the centre of the dinner table which is covered in a plastic tablecloth. The point being that it makes meal times “fun” and there are no dishes to wash up afterwards.

I can think of a lot of other ways to make family time around the table fun, can’t you? Spaghetti Bog and Parmesan Cheese dumped in the centre of the table simply does not appeal. 

Personally, I like tablecloths. They add to the ambience of an occasion. Their colour, the feel of the fabric, their pattern, is every bit as important as the dinnerware that is used. Since downsizing I’ve limited my source to ten, and most are for daily wear. But on those rare times when the crystal glasses make an appearance so does the hand made lace tablecloth.

The earliest accounts of tablecloths in history were attributed to a poet named Martial in 103 AD, and they were believed to have been used to sop up spills and keep the tables generally clean. However, table coverings came into their own in the late 19th century following the growth in textile industries and the invention of the sewing machine.

These days they are mass produced and can be picked up as cheap as chips, especially in the current financial climate with Australia’s shortage of spuds.

I think back to earlier days when as youngsters we were punished for having our elbows on the table whilst eating, not eating everything on the plate, and incorrectly manoeuvring the knife and fork. How times change. 

I am pleased though that we are moving away from seersucker tablecloths. They may have saved on ironing but talk about butt ugly.

We will not be adopting this hack and if you must know we will also be retaining our top sheet in the bedroom. I’m not easily influenced.