Two teenage kids come home from school and look forward to dinner with the family - it's a date. Mom and sister do the cooking, set the table, and arrange a bouquet. Brother does homework then helps junior, the youngest, clean up. Dad gets home from work, joins the boys for pleasant conversation, then it's time to eat. The narrator emphasizes the importance of being relaxed and pleasant. The family illustrates a few dinner table "don't"s, then good manners and good sense reassert themselves. Table manners, pleasant and unemotional conversation (good for the digestion), graciousness, and ceremony mark the event. All families, no matter how poor or busy, should have these dinner dates.