| Nothing. No computer, No TV (I don't do TV) Crumbs get into keyboards. But before your generation, seriously, Dad would watch news during dinner, and it was coverage of the Vietnam war. Not to be a smartass, but I found the imagery and emotionally charged opinions expressed (half of them, anyway) to be completely unsuited to dinner. So, I play music. Not just at dinnertime but anytime, classical music is good for the soul. If you have a nearby classical radio station, they will likely play lots of music that doesn't demand attention. But most stations stream and you can go from light to heavy music that demands and rewards close attention. The big benefit of audio, any old time, is that you are free to roam around and actually get those irreducible chores (or work) done without lock-in. If you abstain from TV for a while, encountering it is rather shocking in the way it pulls your brain into the screen and takes it over. FWIW, I used to watch old movies and shows when I was married and we had cable. Dinner can be quite the experience when watching the old Japanese "Iron Chef" episodes, since food is the focus. For nostalgia buffs, the original series used great music by Hans Zimmer, from the movie "Backdraft" which added to the camp feeling. |