Most of us don't remember what we ate a year ago today — the tuna salad sandwiches, cold pizza and vending machine du jour. More than any other time, food was secondary — merely a means of sustenance — on that horrible Tuesday.

        That day, we ate only to live.

        But soon after Sept. 11, some families realized the importance of gathering around the dinner table. Not to celebrate the food, but life and the people they love.

        Here are two families who have discovered the pleasure and comfort of eating together in this unpredictable and often violent world.
       

Jerri and Kevin Green

        Friends know there's no need to call Jerri and Kevin Green on Sundays. They won't answer the phone.

Since last September, Jerri and Kevin Green spend Sundays at home in Finneytown. (Mike Simons photo) | ZOOM |

        Beginning Sept. 16 — the Sunday after the terrorist attacks — the Greens committed themselves to spending every Sunday together at home in Finneytown. The couple sleeps late, reads the paper, eats breakfast, watches a movie and then sits down together at the table, under the glass chandelier, to share spaghetti and meatballs.

        They speak to no one else on these special days, except for Buster, their terrier-mix.

        Like many Americans, the Greens didn't sleep much the week of Sept. 11. They watched television news accounts nearly non-stop, and waited for the next attack. Then they worried about the missing.

        Ms. Green, who works as an education assistant at Cottonwood Elementary School in Finneytown, knew a woman whose daughter routinely traveled the subway under the World Trade Center. But she escaped unhurt.

        “That week was hectic for us,” says Mr. Green. “On Sunday, I just said we have to sit down and eat together.”

        That first Sunday, Ms. Green made spaghetti and meatballs, a favorite recipe from her husband's family. Every Sunday since, she's made the same main dish, and they're still not tired of eating it. In an unsure world, the Greens savor the predictability of simple spaghetti and meatballs and their time together on Sundays.

        “We know there will be a time when we won't see each other again,” Ms. Green says.

        Their only child, blue-eyed, red-haired, Eileen, showed them the importance of relishing time with someone you love. Seven years ago, the 11-year-old was in the hospital suffering from congestive heart failure. One day, her father left the room to get her a soft drink. When he returned minutes later, Eileen was gone.

        She died before he had a chance to say goodbye.

        Although the fear of terrorism has waned, the Greens say their Sundays together help them cope with their normally busy lives. Most weekdays, Mr. Green leaves early and gets home late from his job as a truck driver for a company in Mason. In addition to working at school, Ms. Green volunteers as the busy president of the Brentwood Swim Club in Finneytown. They admit that during most weeks, they often eat on the run or in a chair in front of the television.

        But on Sunday, they've managed to make time for themselves at the dining room table.

        “You just have to decide what's important in life,” Mr. Green says.

Naheed and Riffat Chaudhry

        Family meals were a tradition in Naheed and Riffat Chaudhry's home long before the events of Sept. 11, long before they moved to the United States nearly five years ago. In their native Pakistan, grandparents, parents and children eat together every evening.

The Chaudhry family of Mason. From left, Ibrahim, 9, Amina, 12, Naheed and Riffat Chaudhry. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        And in their new home in Mason, the Chaudhrys share dinner with their children, Ibrahim, 9, and Amina, 12, every night.

        “I know of no other way to eat,” says Ibrahim, smiling.

        But since the events of Sept. 11, the family meals have taken on new meaning for the Chaudhrys.

        “Now we know how precious lives really are,” says Ms. Chaudhry. “And I think we're here to thank the Creator for it.”

        A psychiatrist who conducts research at the University of Cincinnati, Ms. Chaudhry usually arrives home by 5 p.m. to prepare authentic Pakistani dishes, such as kofta (spicy meatballs) with green curry sauce, braised chicken legs, spinach and potato casserole and soft naan (flat bread). The children help their mother set the table and Mr. Chaudhry usually arrives before 6 p.m.

        The meals provide a forum for discussing the day's events at work and school, and during the last year, the dinners have allowed the family to come together for support. The terrorist attacks frightened the family, as they did all Americans. But Mr. Chaudhry also has been frightened closer to home — at his convenience store in Middletown.

        A few weeks after Sept. 11, three men came into his store and one man pointed a gun at him.

        “They said I was responsible for this (the attacks), and I should leave or they would burn down my store,” he says.

        The men left without harming him or the store, but it saddened Mr. Chaudhry.

        “This is our country,” he says. “We are Americans, too.”

        After the attacks, the ailing economy hurt sales at his store. Mr. Chaudhry also believes some customers boycotted him because he is a Muslim from another country. But now, he says, business is picking up again.

        As her husband and children finish their last bite of melon, Ms. Chaudhry lowers her head and closes her eyes to begin a prayer of Al-hamdolillah. She gives thanks for the food and for their health.
       

Recipes

        This recipe was adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook (Knopf; $30) and was a favorite of Kevin Green's mother, Eileen.

The Greens' Spaghetti and Meatballs

        MEATBALLS
       2 tablespoons butter
       1 cup bread crumbs
        1/2 pound ground chuck
        1/2 pound mild Italian sausage
       2 tablespoons finely cut Italian parsley
       1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
       1 tablespoon finely chopped bell pepper
       Salt, to taste
       Pinch black pepper
       Olive oil for frying
       SAUCE
       2 can tomato sauce
       3 tablespoons olive oil
        1/2 onion, finely chopped
       1 tablespoon finely chopped bell pepper
       1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
       1 finely chopped garlic clove
       Pinch sugar
       Salt, pepper, oregano and basil, to taste

        To make meatballs, saute bread crumbs for a few minutes in butter, stirring often. Combine buttered bread crumbs, ground beef, sausage, parsley, onion, bell pepper, salt and black pepper. Roll mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs and brown in olive oil. Drain and set aside to keep warm.

        To make sauce, combine all ingredients except basil and simmer about 40 minutes. During last 10 minutes of cooking, stir in basil to taste. Serve sauce on spaghetti with warm meatballs and Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
       

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