He was very glad, nonetheless, that the two of us had finally made a meal together. And I was glad, too. Yet in our day, this age-old wisdom is more and more ignored and the institution of the family dinner table is under threat. The family table was where manners began. There was a circle of sorts, and now it's broken.
Families are more and more likely to eat separately and at different hours.
If they are in the same house, instead of facing one another around the table they are far more likely to be facing the television. At the end of his speech, McMurtry wel-comed audience questions, which continued for about 45 minutes.