Grace before the meal

Meaning

Lemma.

Benedicite is the Latin blessing or grace before food. The mother says it while placing soup on the table, then seats her son and guest but eats standing, believing politeness requires it. The religious word belongs to an ordinary hospitable practice beside Brotteaux’s sceptical reflections. This juxtaposition should not be converted into a claim that the narrator either approves or mocks every part of her conduct; it keeps prayer, care and social habit at the same table.