Your family hates when you burp at the dinner table: poll

As children get older and parents get wiser, family dinners are becoming a thing of the past.

A recent poll done by OnePoll on behalf of the Honey Baked Ham Company has found that three in five Americans wish they could have more time with family for supper.

About 2,000 adults were surveyed and they noted that they only get to spend three dinners out of the week with their family.

However, the same people said that you better have good table manners when you do get together: No burping, slurping, playing with food, using phones or watching TV.

The average person discussed eating four dinners per week with family when they were younger and then another two meals with friends.

Almost half of the respondents believe having a family dinner together is an “important way to connect” over a meal (49%), a way to make memories (46%), to continue family traditions (45%) and learn more about their family (46%).

As for the type of meal, nearly half of Americans said they prefer ready-to-eat meals from home (49%) or home-cooked meals (48%), followed by getting takeout (43%) and dining at a restaurant (32%).

“We’re happy to hear that families want to spend more quality time together talking, catching up and bonding over a delicious family meal,” Jim Dinkins, CEO of the Honey Baked Ham Company, noted in the research.

Because sometimes cooking at home can be inconvenient, the average American can only spare about 33 minutes to prepare. However, four in five people still prefer it to any other method of dinner plans.

There are a few reasons why people stray from making home-cooked meals. Forty-three percent of participants noted that they don’t want to deal with the tiring and exhausting process of cleaning up after dinner.

Some said they don’t have the cooking skills (40%) to create an indulgent meal, while others simply don’t have the time (35%).

Financially, a home-cooked family meal costs about $10.10 per person. For takeout, the price can be hiked up to $12, $11.60 for fast food and $12.40 per individual for a sit-down restaurant meal.

“No matter how you define family, we’re all looking for ways to keep family dinner stress-free,” Dinkins added. “Finding something quick to make is only one part of the solution.”

Table etiquette is also an intricate part of having successful family meals. The data discovered that two-thirds (67%) of people surveyed believe that exceptional table manners are significant when being with loved ones.

“What’s pleasantly surprising to us is how many people consider good table manners to be an important part of the family dining experience,” Dinkins said.

Thirty-five percent of people explained they still follow the same etiquette rules as they did when they were young kiddies. About 26% said they made their own rules as adults.

Rules that people still follow as adults today include: wash your hands before you sit at the table (49%), don’t talk with your mouth full (46%), never slurp your food or drink (44%), always chew with your mouth closed (44%) and never make noises with utensils (43%). 

THE TOP 20 DINNER TABLE ETIQUETTE RULES:

• Wash your hands before you sit at the table: 49%
• Don’t talk with your mouth full: 46%
• Don’t slurp your food or drink: 44%
• Chew with your mouth closed: 44%
• Don’t make noises with eating utensils: 43%
• Discuss your day or encourage others to do so: 43%
• Spread your napkin on your lap: 41%
• No burping: 41%
• Don’t play with your food: 41%
• Don’t eat too fast: 41%
• No books or newspapers at the table: 41%
• Keep the TV off in the background: 41%
• Clean your plate/eat all your food: 40%
• Avoid reaching: 40%
• Only one person can talk at a time: 40%
• No phones at the table: 40%
• No video games at the table: 40%
• No tablets at the table: 40%
• No toys at the table: 40%
• Coming clean, dressed appropriately for dinner: 39%