Certainly, no one more than comedian Jim Gaffigan.

“I’ll have fries with my burger,” says Bob’s Big Boy. Photo by: Jennifer Cachola

The cover story of the October 19 issue of Parade magazine explores Gaffigan’s relationship with food. Quotes from his new book, Food: A Love to Story, fill the article. As a personal historian, I particularly like his family stories past and present.

“For my fifth birthday, my sister got me a package of Oscar Mayer Wieners and a six-pack of Dr. Pepper,” Gaffigan recalls. “She knew how much I loved my hot dogs.”

The youngest of six children, he tells of having supper when he was growing up: “You had to eat it before someone else ate it.”

Now with five children of his own, he makes a point of sitting down to a meal with his family. It can be an ordeal with unruly offspring. “Eating with your kids is nurturing, but it’s not relaxing.” He further explains, “There’s a lot of negotiating, the anxiety of things being spilled, kids missing their mouths. If you can get them to sit in a chair successfully, you feel you’ve achieved something.”

So, dinnertime might not be the best time to trace the family tree, relate the day’s activities, or plan a vacation. But it’s still the best time of day to come together.

© 2014 Susan Marg – All Rights Reserved