Communicating Through Food

It did not strike me until I was eating dinner at a friend’s house that some people eat as a way of accomplishing a task.  At their house, the dinner was hastily made by one person, alone in the kitchen.  The meal was eaten quickly, without savoring the food that was made.  I had hardly ever had such an odd experience.

Food is central to my family.  The way we make it, who makes it, how it is served, who it is eaten with, and how it is eaten is important to us.  Food is hardly just a form of sustenance to my family.  It is a way for us to communicate with each other.

I spent a lot of my freshman year at Queens University of Charlotte reflecting upon what my family means to me and how I cherish my time with them.  Food, I found, is central to my family’s identity. 

My whole life, I have lived with my family (my mom, dad, and brother) in Lynchburg, Virginia.  Our yard has an extensive garden from which we get fresh herbs (such as oregano and rosemary) and fresh vegetables (such as tomatoes, bell peppers, and carrots).  The food we grow goes to our plates and is shared with family and friends.

In my life, food is not simply something one needs to survive.  It has symbolic power that binds people together in a common act.  In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, a whole chapter is dedicated to the significance of shared meals.  The symbolism carries on into real life, as well. 

My parents made sure that from a young age, I understood the importance of a meal.  For example, if it is your birthday, you get to pick what we have for dinner and what type of cake you would like.  The rest of the family makes the dinner reservations or buys the necessary ingredients and makes a cake from scratch.  At the dinner and during the cake, we normally compliment the birthday person on their great food choice.  We honor each other through these meals.

Food surpasses its literal manifestation.  It can be used as a tool of communication among people.