Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Dining Room Tables

[Muriel Kranowski (murielk]

Most of our dining tables seat 8, and we also have two 4-tops. At our
cooked meals, where the cooks set the tables with napkins, flatware and
glasses (all this in the Before Times, of course, and hopefully in the
Times To Come, even though I'm using the present tense), the long tables do
not get pushed together. Eight people feels like a good number for one
table when there are 30-50 diners.

We got the two 4-tops at some folks' request, but they are usually the last
to be used. It feels a bit antisocial to sit at an empty 4-top when you're
looking for a spot. Occasionally 3 or 4 people who are working on a project
will take a 4-top so they can discuss it over the meal, or kids will sit
together at a 4-top, but more often they are avoided. I guess it's good to
have two of them but we certainly do not need more small tables.

However, at our weekly potluck dinners which are more lightly attended, and
at our winter Saturday breakfasts, if there are around 10 people present,
often one long table is pushed to the end of another to seat up to 14 --
one person always does this if he's there, otherwise it might or might not
be done. I always pulled them apart at the end since they would probably
not be used that way at the next meal and I thought it made our Great Room
look messy.