Food, like air and water, is
necessary for life. That being said, I
don’t think the main reason I eat is to survive. Although it is true that when I get hungry I
am more prone to eat than when I am not; but I believe the main reason I eat is
for enjoyment. Why do so many people
complain about the dining hall food at DU, because it isn’t enjoyable. It tastes bad. Having the same hamburgers and grilled cheese
sandwiches everyday really starts to suck.
If someone ate at a different restaurant everyday, I highly doubt they
would complain about the food. I now
wonder, what exactly about food is so pleasurable? As I have talked about before, eating uses
almost all of the senses. When the food
is being made, or first presented, the person about to eat it will first study
and examine how it looks. Before they
have even tasted it, judgments are being made.
Next, depending on the type of food and its temperature, they will smell
it. This sniffing can be both
intentional and unintentional. These two
actions happen in fractions of a second.
Commonly the eater, or in this case myself, will dive right in and begin
chowing down on the meal. As the first
bite enters, flavor spreads throughout the mouth like wildfire. This is when they really decide whether they
enjoy the food or not. Apart from the
actual taste, there are many other factors that can skew the way the eater
rates his or her food. Ambiance is a
huge factor the setting of the restaurant forces you to use your ears and eyes,
as you try to get a feel of the place. If
I am at a restaurant with crying little kids surrounding me, there is no chance
I am going to enjoy my food. To contrast
that, if I’m at a restaurant that is playing music I enjoy, at a comfortable
volume where I can still talk to those I am sitting with, chances are I would
enjoy my food more.
I believe that I use food as a
means to socialize and interact with others.
It is common for me to ask someone to get lunch, or even dinner, who
likes to eat alone? Food is used as a
means of being social. This can range
from eating with a group of friends, to eating with a significant other, or
even to a strictly business meal. My
favorite type of meal is probably that shared with my family on Christmas. It has become a tradition for everyone to
gather at my grandparent’s house for a Christmas party. My dads two brothers and their younger sister
all bring over their respective spouses and children. We set up two tables, one for the adults and
the other for the kids. My thirteen
cousins and I always dine together. It
is standard for us to have ham, homemade cheddar mashed potatoes, some
vegetable, cranberry gelatin, and hot bread rolls. The rolls are everyone’s favorite part. These hot rolls can be torn apart
effortlessly as your eyes are almost forced to stare in amazement while your
mouth begins to water. Once ripped open,
it is customary to apply a coat of butter for added flavor. My one cousin Mike holds the family record of
eating the most rolls. We all love them,
but he goes nuts. Most people choose
their seats due to whoever they want to sit next to, but I’m almost positive he
tries to place himself closest to the rolls.
We dine in the confines of my grandparent’s house. Handmade clocks from my Grandpa coat the
walls, along with pictures and family memorabilia that is irreplaceable. Golf is always on the television, and while
it might put everyone else to sleep, my Grandpa loves it. There is nothing more exciting to an old man
that a fine game of golf. Before dinner,
we all crowd in the family room, catching up and conversing, sharing funny
stories. Come to think of it, the golf
game might be the only reason that there is such good conversation outside of
the game. After we eat, everyone goes
away from the table for a while, during this time the women of the house gather
in the kitchen to load the dishwasher and prepare for dessert. My mother’s chocolate Texas cake is always
everyone’s favorite. We have cake and
milk, everyone is shortly after put into a food-coma and retreats back into the
living room to hangout.
When I think about Christmas
dinner, it is not just the delicious food that comes to mind. Memories of spending time with all my cousins
in my grandparents house emerge from somewhere deep in my mind, playing
Ping-Pong in their basement, watching my Grandpa operate his model trains,
opening presents in their basement, and my uncles all telling funny stories are
the things I think of. I think that due
to the sensory use involved in a great meal, the events closely tied to it are
that much easier to remember, and that much more unforgettable.
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