Whenever the owner of my sleep-away camp ventures his tours into the dining hall, he almost always points out the abundance of round tables scattered throughout the room, which he says ensures a familial feeling at every meal. And after eating at a round table for eight years, I've come to agree with his cheesy yet accurate talking point of his tour.
It wasn't only at sleep-away camp that I learned the importance of a round table. I grew up in a family that argued with the hostess of a restaurant until we were given a satisfactory table. As a kid, the thought of parading around a restaurant to approve seating arrangements was nothing short of a nightmare, but now I realize why round tables are so vital to a meaningful meal.
1. Intimate Conversations
Whether it's a big or small group of people, a round table allows for one conversation between everyone rather than being stuck speaking with the people seated around you. You can make eye-contact with everyone present, and one conversation allows for a more intimate and enjoyable setting.
2. No Dreaded End
We've all been that person who arrives to the restaurant late and is left sitting at the end seat. Regardless of how delicious the food was, it is undeniable that there were times during the meal where you felt excluded from conversation because you couldn't hear, or because the person next to you was facing the other way.
With a round table, there is no end! There's no fomo whatsoever because you can talk to everyone at the table and there's no worrying about your only neighbor turning their back towards you.
3. Sharing Is Caring
Sharing is caring, isn't that right? One of the biggest incentives of eating with friends is to try multiple items off the menu, and round tables only make sharing easier. You can spot your prey across the table from wherever you're sitting, but in a rectangular table, it's unlikely that you'll have the opportunity to try all the options.
To most people, finding value in furniture is probably really insignificant and uninteresting. But to the readership who cared enough to make it to the end of this article, and who understand my strong opinions about something so trivial, thank you(!) and lets all get a meal together around nothing but a round table.