My SO complains that my mom and I never talk during dinner. We just sit there and eat silently; frequently we even have reading material. I say his family talks way too damn much! But then, I’m not a fan of talking while eating at any time–I have my priorities.
How about you?
Err…Yes. Actually, I would probably find disturbing a dinner during which nobody talks.
We eat in front of the TV, so natch.
But when we do eat at the table, usually when Mr Garrett is visiting, then we all chat and laugh and have a good time. But that’s more because we’re all in a chatty mood anyway. If we were eating at the table normally, we’d probably both be reading.
I generally prefer silence when eating. I prefer this because I’m eating! Responding to someone with my mouth full is not polite.
Growing up, dinner would be as follows:
Mom, dad, brother and I eat at the kitchen table. I have a book. Mom has a book/catalogue. Brother has a magazine. Dad has the paper or a magazine. Absolute silence.
'Course, my family (besides me, heh) doesn’t talk that much. Especially to each other. 
Going to my boyfriend’s parents’ house for dinner is so freaking weird. They talk! And his mom and dad even talk to each other! They don’t hate each other! How weird.
I grew up with family dinners–meaning that reading at the table was not allowed, the TV was turned off (and usually in a different room, even) and family conversation was expected during the meal.
My husband also grew up with family dinners.
We have family dinners with our kids most nights. With the chaos of extracurricular events, homework, work work, etc. that goes on around here every evening, dinner is really the only time that we get to sit in the same room and talk to each other in peace. It also means that the kids have a better opportunity to know how to behave when sitting down at a meal somewhere else.
We do make exceptions on occasion. If only two people will be home for dinner, we usually eat in the family room and watch TV while we eat, for example. We also don’t really sit at the table and eat any other meals together–both breakfast and lunch tend to be catch-as-catch-can.
I hate eating in silence. Yet another reason I shouldn’t live alone. I own a table and chairs, and yet eat on the futon in front of the TV, as I can’t carry on a conversation with myself why eating and any other way is just weird.
Very much depends on where we are. At home, dinnertime usually means that parents and I are eating and watching the news, or Dad and I are eating and reading while Mum vainly tries to engage us in conversation, and gets “Um”, “Yup”, “maybe” in reply.
Out to dinner means we talk to each other. Mum likes to go out to dinner.
I grew up with family dinners which would occasionally degenerate into a monologue by Dad or a tense confrontation between Dad and sister, but which normally were sociable and full of conversation. Hard to imagine everyone sitting together and eating in silence.
These days, family dinners are just me and my wife, but we do sit down and eat together every evening, and yes, we talk, sometimes for a couple of hours (at which point the wine bottle is empty and I stagger back to the kitchen to brew coffee).
Weekend breakfasts are the same (minus the wine). Breakfast during the week, on the other hand, is nearly silent and usually accompanied by reading material. C’mon, I’m trying to wake up!
I was raised being told that meals - all meals - are social events. Eating is secondary to talking with your loved ones (or friends, if you are eating out). One doesn’t speak with their mouth full, no. But your mouth isn’t supposed to be full to begin with, just take bites of your food, chew, swallow, put the fork down (or, after my little brother arrived, the “hovering fork” became okay).
This is just how I was raised, I understand and don’t mind that other people eat differently. Hell, I’ve tried different ways, too, but old habits are hard to break.
We talk. Even if we’re balancing plates on our laps in front of the TV (more often than I’d like to admit, but not every night), the family still talks.
If I’m eating a meal alone, I get through it in maybe half the time I do while eating a regular family dinner. And it’s a quarter of the time it takes for a big-deal family dinner (Sunday dinner with the in-laws, for instance). I think longer is better in this case.
In my family we would never be allowed to read a book or magazine while we were eating. We were there to eat, yes, but also to interact with eachother. I can’t imagine a silent breakfast, lunch or dinner table…My husband was raised similarly, so we talk about our day at length over dinner… When our son is born I am sure I will not allow him to read at the table either, but he can be silent if he wants to. Far be it from me to force someone to talk if they don’t want to. Although I can be very persuasive 
I can’t really remember a time in my family when we all sat at the table at the same time to eat, except on Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas. Even before we kids hit high school, we used to eat on trays in front of the TV, so no conversation. We were watching TV, dammit! When we kids hit high school, nobody’s schedule was the same (my brother had football, I had band and chorus) so it was pretty much catch-as-catch-can on the dinner front. After high school, our presence or absence in the living situation changed from year to year, so no family dinners then, either.
At this point, I’m so used to eating in front of a screen (in my case now, the computer monitor) while reading (usually the Dope) that it’s second nature. Not that I’m a big talker, anyway, but both supervenusfreak and I tend to concentrate on our food when we’re eating out together (unless it’s an actual (rare) romantic-type dinner), so no big conversations there, either. I should note that that’s just when it’s the two of us. If we have friends eating with us, supervenusfreak will talk with them…I never talk anyway. When I lived alone, I could go DAYS without uttering a word outside of work.
If I’m with other people, talking is expected.
We always talk during dinner. I would find it strange not to. Although getting us all sat in the dinning room instead of in front of the television is a rare event. And if we’re eating in front of the television, we usually eat at different times. (I usually cook for myself.)
It’s just my wife and me, and we eat in the living room at the piano bench, while watching Food Porn or Home Porn. So we’ll have reason to comment on something we’ve seen on the program. We will already have talked about our day on the way home. But we’re not watching intense, plot-driven stuff during dinner, so it can be talked over without us missing much, if anything.
When I’m at home with my parents, we talk a little, but eating is the priority and conversation just fills in the gaps.
I hate long drawn out dinner conversations. I like to shovel the food in there at speed then get up - even if I have nowhere pressing to be.
I do, but since I live alone it is kinda strange… 
Actually, yes, when I’m with people I view dinner as a social event and I chat through out.
Yes, we talk. It is usually the only time we get to be together during the day, and then only for one meal, which is supper! I expect talking during our meal! It’s a time to catch up on what is going on in our lives…sharing our daily experiences, both good and bad. We laugh a lot, too. It’s a time for a sort of ‘bonding’, I suppose. There is never any arguing, either. It just doesn’t happen. I guess we enjoy that time together too much to bother with anything unpleasant.
Yes, talking is ALWAYS allowed (and preferred) at our table.
We do watch movies, or read, but talking is encouraged, too! But for us it’s just the two of us so we have all the time to catch up…but total silence is weird for me.