Flowers on the dining table: like or dislike?

Welcome to Like or Dislike, where you get to share how you really feel about ingredients from the pantry, ingredients I'm thinking about adding to my pantry, other seasonal foods, and favorite cooking gear. The things you like are sure to find their way to the recipes here on The Perfect Pantry, so do tell.

You wouldn't think there could be anyone who doesn't love flowers on the dining table, would you? I have a love/hate relationship with tabletop flower arrangements. I love the way flowers can bring a dining table to life, echoing the colors of the dishes, linens, and even the walls in the room. I also dislike strong floral aromas that can overwhelm the food, stuff up your nose, and cast a smell of perfume everywhere. I love little tiny pots of flowers at each place setting -- flowers that don't have a strong aroma. I dislike flower arrangements so tall that you can't see the person sitting across from you. How do you feel?

Flowers on the dining table: like or dislike?

Last week: wooden spoons. Most have a few treasured and well-used spoons; a few people steer clear of wooden spoons because they feel the wood is not hygienic. For me, wooden spoons are an absolute necessity.

Last week: wooden spoons. Most have a few treasured and well-used spoons; a few people steer clear of wooden spoons because they feel the wood is not hygienic. For me, wooden spoons are an absolute necessity.

Comments

i feel same as you....i like the way an arrangement of flowers can brighten up a table, but trying to eat a savory meal with the scent of gardenia wafting into every bite can be overwhelming lol. when i do have a floral accent, i set them around the room so people can see them but not smell or taste them as they eat ;0)

The flowers look pretty as a centerpiece but please move them out of the way during meal-time. Some flowers are too heavily scented to be brought into the house. Keep the bouquet looking fresh and wipe away the pollen.

I love flowers, but not on the table when I'm eating. I don't mind those tiny little vases with one or two small flowers you sometimes see in restaurants, but large flowers arrangements, no.

Good question!

Yes, but off to the side, not in everyone's faces!

Fresh flowers are a must in my house. I feel just as you do, that very lightly scented bouquets that are unobtrusively low work best. As a gardener and potter, I love nothing more than displaying pretty blossoms in one of my own pots (or one from my ever-growing collection)--as long as they don't come between me and my food!

Hi Lydia..I love the way flowers look but I remove them during the meal. Most of the time they block my view of the person across from me.

Love em,
have used at ALL our dinner parties over the years--
a touch of classic--
gordon

Agree, agree.
My mother grew beautiful flowers and had learned Ikebana - Japanese flower arranging. We had beautiful flowers, beautifully arranged, in our house, but not on the dining room table.
Occasionally I have bought a small plant in full bloom for a special meal, but move it out when we eat.
And no strong scented spring bulbs - not even in the house!

Love fresh flowers on the table, it makes the meal feel more festive. Not too many, and not a huge or overly tall arrangement, though. I don't like having to stand up or lean to one side just to talk with someone across the table.

Flowers on the table are always a pleasure to see. They brighten any room, any table. It's a plus when they coordinate with the table setting(s) and (cloth) napkins.

I love to have flowers on the table for holiday and celebratory dinners, and also when we have friends in to eat a meal with us.