12th Dec, 2021
(Spanish: “upon the table”) is the Spanish tradition of relaxing at the table after a heavy meal. It begins after dessert is served, and typically lasts between half an hour and an hour.
In essence, sobremesa can be seen as an expression of the Spanish attitude towards life. It’s about not rushing a good meal in order to take pleasure in the company of friends and family, and enjoying these things without feeling like you should be doing something more ‘important’.
As the old adage goes, the family that eats together, stays together.
One of my fondest memories of childhood are of the meals we shared at our dining table. I had the privilege of having lived in a joint family and meals were always big affairs with a big group of family and friends. Invariably there were guests at home and we as kids used to enjoy the after meal discussions, chats and gossip but were invariably forced to early bed or for the afternoon siesta thus missing out on the ‘Sobermesa’
But, looking back, I can say that,
Most of the values were learned and imbibed over a meal,
Many an altercation took place over a meal and resolved over a meal,
Many a stories were told and gossip exchanged over a meal,
Many a jokes were shared and fun was made over a meal,
Many victories and losses were analysed over a meal,
Many relationships were formed and new bonds were created over a meal,
Many an erring child was disciplined and
Many a deserving child was rewarded over a meal,
Many challenges were accepted and strategies were formulated over a meal,
Many plans were made to be followed and/or abandoned over a meal,
Many outings were planned and many holidays were enjoyed over a meal.
The biggest learning, many of my highs and lows were over a meal shared together with family.
Don’t forget the Sobremesa, enjoy the meals with your family, create that bond & stay Blessed forever.