Sweet Fridays

(post, Cynthia Lair)
p(blue). Editor's note: This item is cross-posted on Cynthia Lair's website, Cookus Interruptus.

I sometimes listen to '“This on NPR. A few years ago, a woman with five children who was going through medical school and a divorce (does it get harder?) talked about “Sweet Fridays,” a ritual she learned about in the Republic of Georgia and brought to her family. Every Friday afternoon, they invite the neighbors to come have cake in their home. 

“It is not just the extravagant sweetness of the afternoon or the regularity of the occasion that qualifies this as a tradition," she says. "It is the attention to detail and the anticipation — always a tablecloth (if maybe not ironed) and always a centerpiece (pine boughs, a pumpkin, or some flowers from the garden). My children and I fantasize about the event all week long. And then, walking home from school on Fridays, we round up everyone we pass.”

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h1.Featured recipe

German Chocolate Cake


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Gentle rules and rituals provide the stability to ride the ups and downs of family life. Breaking rules consciously seems equally important. Kids need to know that the goal is not perfection.  

Do you have a simple neighborly ritual you’d like to share with us?

[%image reference-image float=left width=600 caption="German Chocolate Cake."]
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