I had the same schooling- 1950s table manners- everyone seated at the kitchen table- children should be seen and not heard.

My parents gradually slackened off. By the time I was in my teens some meals (Sunday dinner for instance) were taken in front of the TV.

I like to watch the news while I'm eating- and maybe have a magazine on the go at the same time. I tend not to read books because they demand too much concentration- and the last time I tried it I managed to smother The Color Purple in sauce.