Food is an amazing thing. When it comes to gathering the
diverse, food holds powers that even the most infamous names in the restaurant
industry do not hold. From sacrificing parts of the harvest to the Gods to
appease them, to gathering all your girlies for a cookie exchange, food is one
thing that can always bring people from every walk of life together.
I am a confessed NPR junkie. It is the station I listen to
every morning on my way to work, and again on my way home. My boyfriend and I
spend part of our Sunday morning listening to Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, This American Life, and any other podcasts
we may have downloaded that week. It comes as no surprise then, that while
listening the other day, I got very excited about a story of food (of course
they would have that for Thanksgiving week). The story was an interview with
Adam Gopnik, the author of the new book The Table Comes First. Here are some of the things I remembered and really
enjoyed from the story:
Gopnik says that us humans are selfish eaters, and I
couldn’t agree more. But what is it that we really want or really get from
eating? Biologically speaking, we are greedy about eating because it is
necessary for our survival. Without food and water we would cease to exist.
However, throughout time and with the creation of the restaurant in France,
food has become so much more than just a biological necessity.
Gourmet is a word that often comes to mind when thinking
about fancy, delicious food. In French Gourmet is pronounced Gourmond and its definition is - greedy; taking daily delight in the pleasure
of eating. And nobody does this pleasure better than the French (in my
humble opinion after having been fortunate enough to visit the country).
In 1780, the first restaurant as we know them today, was
created in France. At the same time the restaurant came out, competitive
writing about food began. The combination of these two things transformed food
from a need (biological), to a want. Or as Gopnik states, this creating was
responsible for; transforming our needs
to our desires. Believe it or not, this was NOT the norm. For example, the
fact the Jesus ate in the open with people of all races and creeds. Boys and
girls, prostitutes and cripples, everyone was welcome at his table
(unthinkable!).
The restaurant became the place to the French that was both
suitable to your body and your palate. This is something that Americans have
not quite gotten a hold of, with the exception of the Thanksgiving holiday.
As Gopnik explains, Thanksgiving is the one secular holiday
where everyone of every background and religion can come together, sit at the
same table, and eat together. Almost any family can understand what a feat this
truly is. From political differences to intense football rivalries, there are
so many petty, little things and can keep us separated from each other. The
entire day is centered around food. From the early morning to hours after the
meal is over, the kitchen and every other room in the house are filled with the
aromatic smells of the Thanksgiving meal. Or as Gopnik states: “We all have to
eat. On Thursday, we turn it into something we all want to share.”
So as you sit this weekend working on digesting all of that
delicious food I hope you think about something. Did you get to sit together
with people you care about this year or at least reach out and send them a warm
hello!? Was there someone you were unsure you wanted at your table? Perhaps
someone you were secretly glad that couldn’t make it?
Perhaps next year, rather than selecting your list by your
favorites, you will select those that deserve or need love a little bit more,
or just should be loved a bit more in your heart. That should be Thanksgivings
core meaning - being thankful for all those in our life, the close and the
distant.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
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