Recently I took a trip with my grandchildren to Walt Disney World. We laughed, we smiled for photographers and we made many new memories. As we were making all of these new memories, I couldn’t believe how many old memories were flooding back at the same time. Main Street U.S.A. looked just like it did in the late 70’s, when I was last there with my young children. The 1970’s feel like just yesterday, but then again, so do the 1950’s.
A few days into our trip, I felt like I had traveled back in time. My daughter had booked lunch at a restaurant called “The 50’s Prime Time Cafe”. As we walked in the door, I felt like I was at home, but not my 2012, flat screen television, “cell phone at the table” home. The 50’s Prime Time Cafe looked like a kitchen from my past. I recognized everything and I loved it.
When we sat down, the waiter arrived and asked my granddaughter why she had not set the table yet. We looked down and noticed a pile of plates, cutlery and napkins. “Children set the table” he said, in a bit of a disapproving way before walking away without taking our order.
When our waiter returned, he asked what we wanted for our meal, however, if you forgot to say “please”, he moved on to the next person and said he would get back to you when you learned some manners.
At this point, we realized that we hadn’t received the worst waiter in Disney history. He was in role. This was the 1950’s and the expectations that we had back in the 50’s seem to be lacking in 2012. He smelled my daughter’s hands to be sure she used soap when she returned from the restroom and we even witnessed another waiter publicly scolding another patron for having her elbows on the table. It was all in good fun and I certainly enjoyed the trip down memory lane.
As we re-entered 2012, I couldn’t help but think about how much had changed since the 1950’s. It got me thinking about manners and how little we expect of our grandchildren. Every restaurant offers crayons and word searches with their children’s menu and the minute the activities are done, mom and dad pass the children their iPhone to keep them occupied until the bill arrives. The worst part about it, is it is not just the children. The adults are also guilty of checking emails or making a call during dinner.
I do believe that some of the expectations of the 1950’s were unnecessary. I never really understood the harm of an elbow on the table, but I do feel there is a middle ground that has been lost over the years.
It had been a long time since I had thought about manners at the dinner table, but I might get into “50’s Prime Time Cafe role” the next time the grandkids come to my house for dinner. Our waiter seemed to be having a blast!
