The Way We Eat
The way we eat, as
humans and more importantly as Americans, has changed drastically over the last
few decades. This isn’t just because
people have become busier and more disconnected from time. (cite horwitz) Technology has improved; ovens aren’t what
they used to be, microwaves are more powerful, and even refrigerators have.
(find kitchen technology source) The
kitchen is becoming bigger, and more possibilities are arising. Even food in prison has expanded.(cite spreads
article) Even though food and our styles
of eating have changed, it is my belief that the way we enjoy food hasn’t
changed. Food is enjoyed and the experiences
is memorable not because of what a person is eating, but who they are with, and
where. People have always used food as a
means of socialization, why to men as women on dates out to dinner? Why does a
salesman take a client out to lunch? If
there is an enjoyable meal, chances are things will end up better. A big part of experience of a meal comes from
the atmosphere of the restaurant. If
there was a baby crying behind people dining, chances are they wouldn’t have
too enjoyable of an experience. The meal
doesn’t only consist of the food; it consists of all the sensory information
absorbed during this time. Like water,
food is necessary for life; so for most humans, eating is an everyday
occurrence.
Eating has become
more than just a means of survival. If
people only ate to survive, there would be no variation in food, or more
importantly in taste. Food would all be
uniform, and it would consist only to contain the nutrients, vitamins,
proteins, calcium, and other things the body craves to be strong and
healthy. There would be no point to
improving or changing the taste. Food
wouldn’t look visually appealing, or smell good. It would probably just be some mix between a
liquid and solid that a person would suck out of a futuristic tube. It’s a good thing this is not the way the
world works. Food brings pleasure to
many people, including myself. I see
food being used as a means of social interaction. One could even say food is a large-scale
icebreaker. People might go out to eat
in order to discuss something serious, something personal. Men and women, or even men and men or women
and women, go out to dinner dates all the time; it is a frequent
occurrence. The last time I went to a
restaurant, I observed this behavior.
This interaction does not only occur between intimates. It occurs between friends, business clients,
families, and even people who have never met before. Food is an excuse to socialize, a means to
interact. When talking and conversing
one can even take a bite to avoid answering something that wasn’t
expected. They can even talk about the
food as a last resort if they ran out of conversation topics, and have already
discussed the weather. Food is
pleasurable, and in my opinion that pleasure might jog memories from deep
within, that would stimulate conversation.
But it is not only the taste that makes a meal enjoyable; there are many
other factors.
One of these
factors is the ambiance of a restaurant.
Ambiance is defined as the
mood, character, quality, tone, atmosphere, etc., particularly
of an environment or milieu. (dictionary.com) One of the most important words
in that definition is quality. A
restaurant with a lot of soul, one with pictures coating the walls, smiling
staff, and enjoyable music, will normally be said to have good ambiance. A classier establishment, with nice tables,
comfortable chairs, maybe a live music performer, leather menus, and even a
wine room, would also be said to have good ambiance. Ambiance isn’t something only a particular
type of restaurant has, but it is something that an enjoyable restaurant will
more likely than not, have. One restaurant
that comes to mind, is a place called Butch’s Lobster Bar at the top of
Snowmass Village. Coating the walls are
pictures and memorabilia of the restaurants past success. There are also pictures of lobster and
fishing related news. Old newspaper clippings
and faded photographs cover the walls of this restaurant. By the front desk, there is a tank with giant
lobsters, who are probably counting down their days until they hit the stove. It is sad, but they are entertaining to
watch. Butch’s has a wide variety of
seafood, and other fried foods. The food
isn’t the greatest, but that isn’t what the customer pays for. They pay for the experience, the unique,
memorable time they will be spending in the restaurant while they dine. There is no doubt that is it possible to go
out to eat, at either a new or old place, and have a bad experience due to your
surroundings. It has happened to all of
us. Maybe the lights were too dim and
someone couldn’t read their menu, maybe the waiter or waitress was obnoxious
and talked to the customers too much, maybe the music was too loud, maybe it
was just not enjoyable and didn’t fit your tastes. The examples are endless, and no matter how
good the food, a bad atmosphere can ruin any meal. Did I forget to mention the people at the
adjacent table who decided to bring their infant to dinner instead of paying
for a babysitter so he could scream and cry the entire time? I’m sure you remembered that one on your own. Reasons like these are why I say how much
someone enjoys a meal heavily depends on outside circumstances. The food may be the main attraction to the
restaurant, but the experience is what makes it memorable or not. The atmosphere inside the restaurant will
heavily influence if the customer really enjoys it or not.
Having great
ambiance is not the only factor in determining if the atmosphere of a
restaurant helps make it more enjoyable.
It also depends on whom the customer comes to the restaurant with. The restaurant stays the same, but people who
eat its food and drink its wine will change.
One of my fondest memories is 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 based on 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. 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. It is the conversation and the enjoyment of
the time spent with those around you that really makes a meal more memorable,
or more enjoyable.
If a more enjoyable
meal is more memorable, what exactly makes a meal memorable? It is my understanding that sensory use will
make anything more memorable. Eating any
meal, at a restaurant, or at your grandparent’s house involves lots of sensory
use. At first someone might argue that
taste is the only sense used while eating.
Actually, I believe that during a memorable meal, all senses are
used. Lets start with the most obvious,
taste. As soon as the food goes into the
mouth, the then thousand taste buds in a human mouth go to work sending sensory
information to the brain. (http://www.homeworkspot.com/know/howmanytastebuds.htm) It has also been said that 50% of taste is
actually smell. That’s another
sense. This would explain why hot food
is generally more enjoyable than cold food.
Before the food even goes into the mouth, the nose, consciously or
subconsciously, does its job in judging how it’s going to taste, by the
smell. Maybe simultaneously, the nose
and the eyes work together. A big part
of expensive food at a nice restaurant is the presentation. Judgments are immediately made of how the
food will taste, based solely on its appearance. Sushi is a food where appearance is extremely
important. If a roll doesn’t look good,
chances are it wont taste as good. Once
the food is seen, smelled, and tasted, it is also felt with the tongue. Maybe also with the hands, depending on the
eater’s manners and the food in front of them.
Temperature is a big part of this, food too hot can burn the mouth, and
food too cold, or mostly drinks, can cause a brain freeze. While the food is being eaten, it will more
likely than not make a noise. Potato
chips are especially susceptible to this.
Carrots and chips will give a crunch.
Some people even judge their chips on the crunch it makes. Or cheese by if it squeaks. This sounds ridiculous, but it is completely
legitimate and does actually happen. By
now the food has been seen, smelled, tasted, felt, and heard. Weird to think that all five senses are used
while eating, but it happens! When these
senses all experience something pleasing, there is no doubt it will cause the
meal to become more memorable.
Humans need
interaction, and food helps facilitate that interaction. It can range anywhere from a blind date to a
causal lunch with an aunt or uncle. A
good conversation will make the meal more interesting, and more enjoyable. But remember, this can be overwritten by the
inside of the restaurant and it’s workings.
A noisy environment can prevent conversation, making it difficult to
hear whomever the customer may be conversing with. It can also work in favor or the customers
though; playing their style of music may make them more relaxed. A professional, well-mannered waiter or
waitress can make the experience more enjoyable, as he or she will cater to the
customer’s needs or desires. While all
of this is going on the body absorbs the information through its five
senses. The food is tasted and judged by
its appearance. The music playing is
heard, and the temperature of the restaurant is felt all over the human
body. Favorable conditions will lead to
more enjoyable information being received by the human brain. In turn, this will lead to the customer
thinking of the restaurant as a better place to eat. These conditions will make their meal
better. It is because of the high
sensory use that a good meal will be remembered over one that didn’t go as
well. Food may have changed, but the way
we enjoy it has stayed the same.
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