On 12/26/2016 9:30 AM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> On Monday, December 26, 2016 at 8:33:03 AM UTC-5, Jill McQuown wrote:
>> On 12/26/2016 6:26 AM, Nancy Young wrote:
>>> On 12/25/2016 6:09 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>>>> On 12/21/2016 4:17 PM, wrote:
>>>
>>>>> Q: Dear Miss Manners: I have a shared living room/dining space, and a
>>>>> separate breakfast table off my kitchen. However, my formal dining
>>>>> table is always set, but rarely used.
>>>>>
>>>> Are these real questions or just stuff Miss Manners makes up?
>>>
>>> From my observation, none of these advice columnists need to make
>>> stuff up.
>>>
>>> Growing up, there were people who had elaborate living rooms and
>>> kitchens that were never to be used except to show off. The real
>>> living quarters were in the basement. I figure some having dining
>>> room tables all set with the fine china wouldn't be a stretch.
>>>
>> Yep, it's a stretch. Growing up, we always had a formal living room
>> which was only used for "company". No hanging out in that room,
>> nosiree! The dining room was also only used on special occasions; we
>> ate at the kitchen table except on holidays.
>
> Growing up, we never lived in a house that big. When I was small,
> and we lived with my grandparents; my grandfather sat in the
> living room in his undershirt to watch baseball on television.
> We took all of our meals in the dining room, which was hardly
> larger than a hallway between the living room and kitchen.
>
> Now we still live in a small house, and our living is done in
> the living room.
>
> Cindy Hamilton
>
The houses when I grew up weren't big. But they were old. We moved a
lot, Dad was military. I lived in a lot of different houses. There was
often a separate living room/parlor. That's just the way some homes
were designed 50 years ago. <shrug>
Jill