When I was teaching at Kent State, we ate
at a dorm: I thought it would improve family
conversation, manners, and save me work.
The kids preferred to talk with college students
and when I saw one kid pick up a handful of
mashed potatoes and smear it down her face I
thought, “so much for manners.” Also, it
embarrassed the kids when I visited student tables
and collected their untouched slabs of Canadian
bacon and apples which would be thrown out when
they returned their plates. So, we went back to
eating at home.
2025 Jacqueline Jackson
This article appears in A loss for Illinois farmers and food banks.
