Eat Together
Some of my best, most fond memories growing up are the times we spent around the dinner table. Our meals were long, loud, and filled with laughter. Food wasn’t just a necessity because we were hungry. It was an event. It was family time. Time to talk, laugh, even fight sometimes. My mom may not have been the “Suzy-homemaker” of the year, but she worked hard to make incredible and memorable meals. The memories still have all the same smells and same feelings as they did years ago.
But the truth is, my parents didn’t have some strategic plan for getting the family together each evening for a meal. We were all home anyway and didn’t have the money to eat out. There was no ulterior motive or hidden benefit they knew about. Eating together was just what we did, plain and simple. And yet, family mealtime is still a tradition I have carried into my own family, not just because I want to create those same kinds of memories for my family, but because I now understand there are incredible benefits when people come together to share a meal.
Our current cultural trend of fast food, eating in the car, working lunches, and food packaged for easy eating on the go is more of an anomaly than the norm. For centuries, food has served as a peace offering, a cultural bridge, a relationship builder, and has even been fought over. The significance of eating together goes far beyond just satisfying hunger. It is meant to satisfy our souls.
Food allows us to teach others, learn ourselves, and express creativity. Food helps drive conversation, strengthens relational bonds, lowers stress, permits us the space to slow down, and creates lasting community. Why do you think dating often is centered on a meal? Think about some of your best friendships--those relationships are often cemented because of time spent sharing a meal.
The joy of preparing and eating together in western culture has been lost, and it’s time we reclaim it. The food we eat is not just about nourishing and sustaining us physically. The food we eat is more about the meals we share. It’s about the nourishment of our minds, our souls, and our hearts. Our meals should fill us with joy and social connection.
Sharing a meal together is an essential part of our physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Make an effort to stop, gather some friends and family, make a meal together, and then sit down and enjoy the meal. But more importantly, enjoy the moment. Enjoy the memories you create and the incredible friendships that you will build. Some of the best parts of our lives happen around a table full of food.
Challenges/Points:
Food is designed for much more than just filling up; it’s designed to create community.
Food has a way of creating greater, deeper relationships, longer-lasting communities, and connecting socially in ways every other activity cannot.
Sharing a meal is actually good for our mental health.
Questions:
How do you treat mealtime? Do you think of it as just another task to complete or a community to be created?
What are your earliest memories of meals as a family? How do those memories make you feel?
How can you take the time and energy to create lasting, joyful, and relationship-building mealtimes?
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