People that love to eat know they will be happy at least three times a day. I have many friends who eat on the go, and you do what you have to do, but at least once a day, I make a concerted effort to gather around a table with the folks in my home and share the experience of a family meal.
I grew up with extended families who ate home cooked meals together as a matter of regular practice. Cost was a primary reason. The expense of feeding our tribe at restaurants relegated those outings to special occasions.
Saving money was just one of the benefits. Long after I could easily afford to feed my family anywhere at any time, I clung to the homecooked family meal. Time spent together around a table breaking bread as a family has had a profound effect on our lives. It would be difficult to replicate the bonding that has taken place during those meals in any other way. The relaxed setting provided an opportunity to vent, to gain and show support, and to escape from the day’s tasks with people who share your history. At the table together, we know we are not facing the world alone.
I really enjoy feeding the people I live with. From preparing a dish for those I love through seeing a newly cleaned kitchen ready for its next use, I receive a feeling of purpose and satisfaction. I like to think the joy is in the work, and a large part of it is, but the feeling of seeing a project from start to finish inside of the same day has its rewards too.
For me, completing a work project often takes extended amounts of time, sometimes years. It can be difficult to see the finish line or find reward in “work in progress”. A meal, on the other hand, can be prepared, consumed, cleared and cleaned in a matter of hours. The short span from concept to memory brings a feeling of achievement that makes waiting for the more complicated successes in life tolerable. Each of the components, preparation, consumption, and cleanup bring a form of instant gratification that is wired into our psyche in this “need it now” world of ours.
The saying “Stop and smell the roses” is best understood by this Italian in a different phrase and context.
“Sit down and pass the meatballs!”
Topical Index
The Beauty of a Baseball Park
Parenting- Where It Can Lead
The Benefit of Parenting Costs
