AROUND HOME : Draw While You Eat

CRAYONS AT THE table was one of the great restaurant innovations of the ‘80s. Remember when you could hardly walk into a restaurant without finding a jar of crayons sitting next to the salt and pepper shakers? The tables themselves were covered with butcher paper, and nervous doodlers could simply while away the time until supper made its appearance. Some artists even insisted on taking the table covering home with them when they left.

Now somebody’s brought the idea home. Snap-Up Scribble Mats are plastic place mats that come with a little package of crayons attached. The bored diner is thus encouraged to scribble his way through dinner. When the meal’s over, you simply take a sponge, wipe the mats off and wait until it’s time for the next meal to roll around.

You can see by the design that these place mats were intended for children. What a waste. Most children have no trouble at all amusing themselves at the dinner table and could probably think of many better things to do at the table than draw. It’s the adults who need to be entertained during dinner, and there probably aren’t very many adults who wouldn’t be thrilled to sit down to supper and find a crayon waiting. It would certainly be one way to make a long evening seem shorter.

Snap-Up Scribble Mats are $4.95 at Fred Segal, 8112 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; telephone (213) 651-3698.