Who says Grace before meals (including at restaurants)?

[pheasantplucker]

My family grew up saying Grace before meals, even at restaurants (course my dad was and still is a preacher). Don't see too many other folks praying (in an obvious way). Kind of wondered what is your family's policy? Do you all (who do) recite the same Grace each meal, or do you say one spontaneously (different each time)? Is the one who says the prayer the same person each time or does it rotate? If it is the same person, are they "the head of the family"? Don't mean to pry but curious what everyone else does.

[seedspreader]

We pray wherever we are. While, out, I will pray (or my dad if we are at dinner with them, we'll rotate it) at home, we rotate who prays, it's mostly me though, but we encourage the kids to be thankful

[dreamfamily]

We say grace at every meal, together as a family, with each child having a turn. It's the same prayer each time. I think it is just one of those things that children need to have in their lives, consistency and predictability. If we're eating together, we say blessing first.

[U-Turn]

We do. We have a sort of a system...my son says it at breakfast, my daughter at lunch and my husband at dinner and if someone is absent at any time, I do it. Yes, I get off easy most of the time. Ours our spontaneous, though sometimes the kids get a little predictable.

[jasper]

when i was young and in school, my parents would bless the food before we went inside a restaurant but there was always a blessing. we switched around and they were never memorized blessings.

i recently had some carpenters working on a house and was very pleased when they broke for lunch. they all ate in the living room area (althought its empty) and would bow their heads as a group before eating.

[Sawmill Jim]

Guess i'm a bad apple .First thing when i wake in the morning is surprise then i say Thank you God and i'm done for the day

[ErinP]

Grace, yes. At restaurants, no.
Ours rotates and there's no script. It's usually a prayer of thanksgiving--Family, friends, pets, days occurances... And intercession if someone we know of is sick, or hurting

[cjean]

Originally Posted by Sawmill Jim

Guess i'm a bad apple .First thing when i wake in the morning is surprise then i say Thank you God and i'm done for the day

Okay, that was funny.

We, as a family, eat dinner together and always thank the Lord first. Usually dh is the speaker, but we always give the girls time to say what is on their hearts, too. So, the prayer usually includes praying for others as well as being thankful.....whatever happens to be going on in our lives.

We rarely eat out, because of food allergies, so restaurant prayer is N/A.

[Bonnie L]

We've always said what I think of as the Catholic grace: "Bless us O Lord, for these thy gifts..." We say it together.

At special occasions my dh is usually asked to bless the food (seminary education shows!) & he uses his own words. If we are with all Catholics, we end with Bless us O Lord as a group effort.

Funny story. In spite of his seminary years, dh was always shy about praying in restaurants. I insisted (we converts are pushy) & he would mumble under his breath & rarely bowed his head. That ended when one time I noticed that the kids - they were maybe 4 & 6 or so - had their eyes closed, heads bowed, & hands held together. I told Walt he was going to be noticed no matter what!

He is no longer shy about praying in restaurants.

Another story, but not mine. A minister in Portland OR told this story. His parents would often have evangelists stay at their home and would take them to a nice restaurant at least once during the visit. One evangelist was so full of himself, that when the food came, he said, using his best auditorium voice: "Everybody please be quiet! I am now going to bless the food!"

The minister said he & his parents tried their best to slide under the table & become invisible. That evangelist was never invited again!

[Oggie]

If you're just reheating left-overs for a meal, do you need to bless the food again?

[Tiempo]

I'm not religious at all, and my husband only vaguely, so we never do at home, but when we eat at his families' homes (on holidays and such), they do, and it's always the same prayer, it's a song and they sing it with everyone standing and holding hands.

It's quite nice as they are all good singers and they harmonize

They don't do it in restaurants though.

[Marshloft]

I guess I'm a realist
I pray a blessing over the food and for those who brought it to the table,,
Anything more than that,, the food gets cold,, and irritates those who don't understand..
I just keep it simple with-out being religeous..

[clovis]

We do at most meals, including while eating out. Sometimes we forget to pray, which DD7 catches, so we stop and pray then.

[Farmerwilly2]

Grace yes. At a restraunt, if me and the Mrs. usually. With a mixed group of non prayers, usually not.

[big rockpile]

Yes each meal.And I talk with my Hevenly Father first thing in the morning and the last thing at night.

big rockpile

[EastCoaster]

The wife and I hold hands and always ask for a blessing on the meal and thanx for travelling mercies, etc., while out....

Up here in Canada, I NEVER see anyone praying before a meal, and DW and I eat our way more than we should.

The wait staff is aways respectful if they come around while we are praying... I'm not sure if others notice or not as I'm not praying for their benefit.

[InHisName]

we do

[halfpint]

We pray at every meal, whether home or out, and tend to rotate who prays, always spontaneous. If we are eating with a group that we don't know whether they pray or not, we will try to gather as a family before entering and say our own prayer, or ask each person to pray individually, although several times someone else has noticed and then asked for someone to pray for the group, usually my husband.

Dawn

[LamiPub]

At home we say grace before we eat, dh leads and we all recite together. At other people's homes we don't unless we are the same faith, if we aren't the same we sit quietly with our hands in our laps while they say their blessing. At restaurants we don't make it obvious and leave it to the individual to say a silent blessing if they choose. When go out to eat with Grandma she always has us say the blessing out loud. I just never felt comfortable saying a prayer out loud in public.

[vicki in NW OH]

Yes, always, blessing before and grace afterwards. At home, in Latin. Benedict Domine...