How do you translate "sobremesa"? Laurie Taranowski

In Spain, meals are more than just food but are a sacred time to talk with family and friends. In my experience living with a host family, Spaniards tend to eat most meals with their family. In my host family, we all eat lunch and dinner together at the same time each day, and it is an important part of the day when you all are together and catch up on anything and everything. Another aspect of the meals I noticed is that the fact that the food is finished does not end the conversation, but rather the latter. Often my favorite conversations with my host mom would happen after we finished eating and all the plates were still left on the table so we had nothing to focus on other than the conversation. The other night, we talked on and on about supernatural occurrences in Sevilla, and my host mom shared with me many stories of ghost sightings in the hospital where she used to work. In Spain, this is called sobremesa. It is a sacred time in Spain when all the food is done and the plates are still dirty on the table but the conversation is still thriving because Spanish people place a high value on relationships. Beyond the household, you can see this concept in restaurants as well. It is common for people to stay at the restaurants talking with friends and family, even after the food is done and the waiters don’t pressure you to leave. Instead of immediately bringing you the check once you finish your food, the waiters let you take as much time as you would like and you need to ask for the check when you are ready to leave. This custom is very different in the United States. In the US, although people enjoy their conversations while they are eating, the end of the food generally signifies the end of the conversation as well. At restaurants, once the food is done, the waiters quickly clear off the plates and bring the check and you are pressured to leave as the US restaurants place a higher value on table turnover. Personally, I have really enjoyed experiencing the Spanish meals and sobremesa. I love the high emphasis on relationship building in Spain, it is a very beautiful life to live.

https://www.treehugger.com/sobremesa-an-untranslatable-spanish-delight-4868600