Dear LPG,

It was first aired on TV 10 years ago and I did watch it then, but I am taking the time to watch the entire series of Downton Abbey again at the moment. I also remember its similarity with another series that found its characters in a similar social scenario while portraying the differences of the ‘have and have not’ aspects of its characters.

I think that half the reason that women watch any film or television program from that era focusses on the costumes but, although they all dressed for dinner and the ladies were quite often viewed communicating that they were not dressed appropriately, I still don’t know exactly what made the dresses that they wore for dinner that much different from their ordinary ones.  The other thing that often baffled me was the significance of the male characters as to whether ‘black tie’ or ‘white tie’ would be more appropriate.

But the thing that I most remember in both series was that the characters, whatever their station in life, put a lot of emphasis on eating together which allowed the various family members to share their news and keep up to date with each other, regardless of whether they were serving themselves or being served by others. 

Over the years it is true that this has become a luxury that we have become less and less used to, even on a Sunday, but after the pandemic, which has forced us to have more time on our hands, many of my friends have remarked that perhaps our bodies have been missing those gaps in our day-to-day business, when we used to make time to eat without the need to be doing something else at the same time; watching telly, reading the paper or playing with our mobile phones.  

I lived through the whole lock-down episode alone but my friend and I met for dinner nearly every day of the past ten or so weeks by making a video call and, once dinner is on the table, propping the phone, my friend and her dinner, up against the cruet set or a mug which finds itself on the table especially for the task completely changed the eating at home alone dynamic.   

The habit forces us to make ourselves a real lunch (after all your dinner guest will be able to see yours), to have a chat and see what the other is having for lunch, and for a person who is going off their food it sometimes is the ingredient that makes it just that little bit more inviting.  As they say ‘time flies when you’re having fun’.   

I know that even when lock-down is well and truly over my friend and I will continue to meet in this way for lunch from time to time, and for those who live alone it is a really good way of having a chat and a dinner guest.

It just all harks back to a time when making an event of eating on a daily basis was much more important, but with an electronic twist.

JE, Sydenham