The quote is talking about eating as kid, so the kid probably couldn't afford or wasn't allowed to have meals on their own. Probably didn't feel like they could

The quote is talking about eating as kid, so the kid probably couldn't afford or wasn't allowed to have meals on their own. Probably didn't feel like they could speak up and interrupt adults to ask them to pass things as much without a lazy susan too. With the lazy susan it's OK to just rotate yourself as long as no one else is currently spooning.