Hi everyone,
Let’s talk about food today.
I have always been interested in human universals and I also have had sufficient enough interaction with people from different cultures. I noticed a lot of similarities between all these people but one thing that always caught my attention more than anything else is how food works for all.
We all know that we need food to literally survive but I am not here to talk about that aspect today. I want to focus on the role of food in human interaction.
We probably notice every now and then how food is a big part of any event, small or big, cultural or generic. We don’t just invite friends, for example. We invite them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea/coffee+snacks etc. No party would be a good party without something to eat and drink. Any invitation that includes humans also includes food.
If you go to any cultural event, it is very likely to involve food from that culture. If you want to introduce your culture to other people, you are most likely to start with food. That is what I did when I first went to the US, for example. I invited people for breakfast, which is not so common there, because Turkish breakfast is big and famous. Almost all cultural ceremonies also include food. There is special wedding food in many cultures, for example. No wedding would go without some kind of food (B. Erbasi 2017).
Why is food so important? It is obviously needed for survival, but all the things I just mentioned have nothing to do with pure survival. It serves a higher purpose. It is a way we humans connect. It satisfies several of our needs, and important ones:
to provide for others and relatedly to feel the happiness of others (just observe people when they serve others food)
to keep ourselves engaged in the conversation and interaction (I tend to sit more and focus better when I am eating or drinking something) and relatedly making the interaction longer
All this makes us feel belonging and we feel the people by us. This gives us safety. That is a very important human need.
The conclusion then is food actually is just a medium for a greater purpose in these kinds of interactions, which is why people tend to forget about the food as they get more deeply involved in the interaction. Just observe next time, if you have not already.
I have personally always liked eating, but I also was aware that I did not like the food itself but there was something more about it. Observing how food is treated in many places led me to the conclusions I just talked about. Apparently, I was already treating food as an excuse to connect with people around me. When I made breakfast for people, my main concern was to form a connection rather than actual cultural ‘advertisement’. I just did not know that. Now, realizing what food does for us, I have even more respect for it. It definitely deserves a lot of it.
Across the world, food is something that is able to tie families to the table. The one thing in order for people to be engaged in conversation, and not be on their phones while family is around. However, food does not only come in solid forms, there are so many other ways for our bodies to be able to consume food. Eating can be defined as the consumption of food and liquid to sustain life and to meet our body’s basic needs for growth, development, and function. Every cell in the body depends on a continuous supply of calories and nutrients, whether obtained through food, IV nutrients, or tube feedings. Eating and food, however, also have symbolic meanings associated with love, sensuality, comfort, stress reduction, security, reward, and power. All of us have turned to food at one time or another for comfort, to help us cope with stressful experiences, to control our emotions, and to satisfy desires. Food choices, while influenced by taste and nutritional value, are also typically influenced by past experiences, many of which are social in nature.
Food and eating behaviors often begin during childhood and are closely tied to family and culture. There is a strong relationship between memory and food; for example, the taste, smell, and texture of food can trigger memories of earlier food-related events and activities in our lives. For me, hot chicken soup on a cold and rainy day triggers memories of my own mother taking care of me as a child.
Throughout our lives we may associate certain foods or meals with a holiday, past events, or specific memory. These associations may even provide comfort during times of sadness or sorrow. There is no question that food plays a major role in life (Winkler, 2015).
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2005/aug/14/foodanddrink.features1
Alyssa's Food Blog 