We have always sat at the table but now my wife quite often gets up before starting her meal, or in the middle of it, to wash a teaspoon, or to look for something, or to clean her teeth etc. Her favourite is making a cup of coffee and immediately leaving the room for many minutes on end, then coming back to the coffee (if she remembers) and claiming that it is 'clay cold'. She loves to wash and put away cutlery and utensils as soon as I put them down on the bench for a moment, even whilst I am in the midst of cooking. I have learned just to get them out again and carry on, and to be grateful for the times when she does sit still long enough to eat a meal.