A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about things you can talk about with your family at the dinner table. Because as we all know, experts say that it’s best to eat as a family. Although experts also say you should work and support your family, and they tell you that your kids should go to bed on time. What do these experts want already? Experts can’t have it all.

Mostly, it’s about conversation. If there’s something you want to talk about with your entire family, there’s no better way to do it than over food. You don’t have to be the type of family who randomly calls everyone into the living room for a “family meeting.” Because in truth, even if you routinely talk to all your kids on an individual basis, family meetings of some sort are important, because otherwise there’s always one kid you forget to tell things to. You also tell one kid twice.

This way, the meetings can be over food, and then the food is tax deductible.

But what do you talk about every night? With the same people that you also live with?

I mean, Shabbos we talk about the parsha, we say a vort and someone gets out the calendar at least once every Shabbos meal. And whenever the conversation dies down, someone starts a zemer. Can we do that during the week? I don’t know anyone who sings during supper on a weeknight (besides at camp). Or who has company for weekday meals just so there’d be conversation. Can we normalize having guests for weekday meals? You want to be the pain who, when you invite someone for Shabbos and they say they’re booked up, you’re like, “What about Monday? What about Tuesday? What are you doing for breakfast on Thursday?” We don’t know what to say to each other, so let’s bring someone else into the mix.

A few weeks ago I wrote an article in which I threw out some topic suggestions that can be revisited every night. Topics like, “Why aren’t there napkins on the table?” or how loud people chew. This topic never gets old. No one is a ninja in that department.

But some topics do get old. So I reached out to my readers to tell me what other topics they think people should talk about over supper that may or may not be what the experts originally had in mind. Here are their suggestions:

Talk about who was in shul. [SI]

I don’t know why women want to know that. It’s always basically the same people, plus a bunch of people I don’t know and by now it’s too late to introduce myself to them.

I think there’s supposed to be a follow-up question coming about, “What did you say to them?” but I run home as soon as shul is over, so I don’t know where my wife is going with this.

But now when I’m in shul, I have to take a moment to look around and commit the room to memory. Usually while waiting for Chazaras Hashatz.

Is this a new recipe? [AS]

“Yeah, I got it from my friend.”

“What’s different?”

“It’s exactly like the recipe I usually make, but with one extra spice.”

“Oh. I like your old recipe better.”

“Me too.”

“…I guess it’s not the worst.”

“Yeah, we didn’t have that spice, so I had to substitute.”

Kids love talking about whether the food you’re serving is leftovers. [HT & EY]

“You weren’t even home for Shabbos. It’s not leftovers for you.”

“I can’t eat it if it’s leftovers for anybody.”

Then they say, “When I grow up, I’m never going to serve leftovers.” Never. Mr. Never-Refills-the-Iced-Tea is going to make fresh food seven nights a week.

“I don’t like things that are reheated.”

“You eat frozen pizza!”

Pesach is in how many days? What day of the week is it? [AT]

I don’t know, even though we just covered this two nights ago.

What day was Chanukah, again? And what does this mean for Rosh Hashanah and Sukkos? Because we hate when Yom Tov is during the week because we have to fight with our boss about taking off, and we hate when Yom Tov is on a weekend because that means we have to figure out what to do for like 15 days of Chol Hamoed.

Did you hear? Another one of my friends is a kallah! [AT]

“How old is she?” we want to know.

I didn’t care how old any of these girls was until now, but now I care. It’s not a contest. We all know someone who got engaged crazy young, and we all know someone who got engaged crazy old. This one isn’t gonna break any records.

Then we ask, “Who’s she engaged to?” like the statistics for us knowing the chosson aren’t hovering somewhere around 2%. Usually, my daughter doesn’t know. She didn’t think to ask, because for her they were closer to 1%.

She says, “I’ll ask.”

And then the next night she comes back with a name, and I don’t remember what we were talking about.

The weird thing is that growing up, my family ate together every night too. What did we talk about? I don’t quite remember. Maybe the lesson here is that what you talk about isn’t as important as the fact that you’re talking.

Mordechai Schmutter is a freelance writer and a humor columnist for Hamodia and other magazines. He has also published eight books and does stand-up comedy. You can contact him at MSchmutter@gmail.com.