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South Dakotans Tops at Family Dinner

I have to keep this post brief; I smell supper!

A new study from the Corporation for National and Community Service finds that 88% of Americans say they eat dinner with members of their household "basically every day" or "a few times a week.

The state with the highest percentage of folks dining with the broadly defined fam? South Dakota.

(Data: Corporation for National and Community Service. Image: Washington Post.)
(Data: Corporation for National and Community Service. Image: Washington Post.)

The only two places where that percentage is below 80%: Washington, D.C. (79.4%... come on, Kristi! Fly Booker and Bryon in more often!) and New Mexico (76.5%).

Full chart at Washington Post! Suppertime!

6 Comments

  1. leslie 2014.12.18

    What do we talk about over din-din? Marijuana of course. Its news 24/7. This is more interesting, though-NE and MO are suing legalized Colorado for violating federal drug laws.

    These two AGs are, conceivably, a part of the new Missouri republican golden boy AG Scot Pruitt's National Republican Attorneys General Association to use their "super law firm" horsepower (28 states) to defeat the dems at every turn.

    Whether they chose this lawsuit for that reason is not known to me, but watching should be fascinating.

    sorry, couldn't resist coming to dinner!

  2. Lynn 2014.12.18

    My family has never talked about Marijuana while eating dinner and it's rarely brought up at all since it is not a part of our lives. Actually none of my friends or their families ever talk about it either. Other subjects are brought up but not regarding marijuana.

  3. leslie 2014.12.18

    I am not a proponent but observe the tidal surge, or global warming of recreational legalization occurring. perhaps your children are still young. addiction is not a kind differentiator.

    back on thread-jack, nytimes 12.18.14, 12.06.14 and 10.28.14 makes more apparent the newest leg of the three legged stool of GOP strategy that is the republican attorneys general association (the "people's lawyers").

    combine that with republican's owning Secretarys of State pushing voter restrictions, and this 2014 election loss should bring fear & loathing to us.

    Pruitt (above) is Oklahoma's AG, not Missouri's.

  4. JeniW 2014.12.18

    Does eating dinner with family members mean eating at the table where family members are facing each other, or eating dinner parked in front of the TV where the only conversation going is on the TV program?

    When I was a young child my family sat at the table in the kitchen. Then my father wanted to watch the news, so he started eating dinner in front of the TV which was in the living room well away from the kitchen. Gradually we all ended up parked in front of the TV.

    My family never talked about drugs. Hard to have a conversation about drugs when a family member is an alcoholic. Other drugs did not enter into the conversation in my family even when my brother became a pothead, and using other "mood enhancers" with his buddies. Drugs really did not enter the family discussion beyond my parents trying to lecture at my brother.

    My parents lectures to my brother about drug use fell on deaf ears, because he noted the hypocrisy of my father's alcohol consumption. The only thing that reduced my brother's pot/drug use was his buddies telling him to back off or they would stop hanging around him, and seeing one of his buddies constant flow of snot from inhaling crack.

    I do miss those days of sitting together at the table. Something was lost when we ate with the TV being the distractor.

  5. leslie 2014.12.19

    how are harry reid's and barney frank's filibuster changes working out? to lighten the convo up a bit....

    my 5 y.o.g.d. said at dinner she heard today in class that MSNBC's "final word" is reporting that dems are getting 24 appointments done by year-end. 12 are federal judges!

  6. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.12.19

    Reasonable question, JeniW, and a good reminder for everyone! There's consumption of food in the same physical space, and there's really breaking bread together as a family. The survey did not appear to go into such degrees.

    But that's the same as on a date and dining out: if you're staring at the TV over the bar, or if both of you are texting over your pad thai, you're not getting the full human value of the meal. Relationship building and maintenance at the table requires screening your screens.

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