In my childhood dining out was a wonderful thing to me. Every time we had a casual visitor of some importance or the birthday of someone closely related to us was to be celebrated I was anxious to know whether or not we could dine out.

To eat in a plush restaurant where many kinds of food can be sampled used to be a great treat to me. The dreamy music, soft lighting, courteous service, and delicacies served are the things to consummate the pleasure of eating. There you can order whatever you want to eat if only you have enough money on you. Expensive as it may be, dining out indeed saves us a lot of trouble getting things cooked, clearing up the table and washing dirty dishes. But now my interest in dining out has gradually diminished. In the first place it is not economical, and not safe. I can not but allow for the possibility of catching a disease in an eating place.

The noise made by many people eating together in a restaurant can also spoil my appetite. Aside from all this, the strongest reason that keeps me from having the itch to dine out is my having got an excellent cook in my own house--my mother.