Warm Tummies, Warm Hearts

by Becca Matheson, Tastemaker in Residence

Why should we eat together?

We should eat together because meal times provide the perfect opportunity sit down and put work or school out of our mind for a little while. We should eat together because these restful moments around a table also bring forth thankfulness and connection that is so important in this current age of disconnection and technology. And we should eat together because there is a great deal of comfort and structure that comes from sitting around a table with the people you love.

Just as a hot dish will warm the belly, a good conversation warms the heart. So set aside the cell phones, tablets, games, and computers for a little bit and connect with the people who truly matter.

Sit and give thanks for the food on the table, and the people who prepared it, or the ability to go out and enjoy a meal at a fun restaurant. Eating something or somewhere new creates adventures, favorite places, and memories that last a life time.

A home-cooked meal of old favorites can jog memories and bring forth stories for the younger generations to hear and learn from.

These “eatings” season your life just as you season a good meal. Eating together is a time of happiness. It’s a time to talk, learn what’s going on in lives other than your own. It’s a time to care for others and have others care for you. It’s also not a bad time to brush up on manners and helpfulness or teach these things to the kids.

At least once a week take the time to sit down with family or go out with friends. Strengthen old relationships and build new ones. All of this can be done over fresh-baked bread, sizzling steaks, crisp salads and cocktails. What could be better?

Mix it up. Eat with the whole group, whether that’s friends or family. Also make time for the individual people in your life with dinner for two, or a one-on-one catch-up session with a good friend.

Eating together adds robustness to life and can give more value to every day existence. It reminds you that you’re more than just the person who works at your job; you’re more than just a student, or a faceless speck in the universe. Eating together reminds you that you’re loved, and that you love. Eating together nourishes the soul just as it nourishes the body.

There are hundreds of reasons why we should eat together, so take a moment, at least a meal each week, and eat together in 2015. The time you spend around the table will not be regretted. You’ll find that your stress levels drop and your relationships flourish. And you may even find a new favorite dish!