Significance of Food Through Personal Experience - Essay Sample

Introduction

It is with such fondness that I reminisce about my childhood memories of meal times. These were near sacred occasions where everybody's participation was required from the collection of ingredients to setting the table to enjoy a meal. Often, it was a family affair where my parents and siblings shared all meals; from breakfast to dinner. These were times to socialize and communicate among ourselves as Ochs and Shohet aptly define mealtimes (37). My mother had a small kitchen garden where she grew most of her kitchen produce. As little children, she would involve us in the collection of ingredients and consequently make us watch as she prepared any meal. When we were older and had mustered almost all her recipes, she would let us prepare the meals under her supervision. Eating out was an infrequent occasion. I, therefore, vividly recall the first time my parents treated us to lunch at a local restaurant that specialized in Indian dishes. There, I learned that food could create and strengthen bonds among family and friends. I also realized that sharing meals instilled some form of discipline in a person as will be illustrated in this paper.

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I should mention that at my parent's house, we mostly sat around the table and quietly ate out food. All manner of cutlery was available depending on the meal that was served. Importantly, whoever set the table ensured that there was a plate for everyone. It was also mandatory to wash our hands at the sink before settling at the dining table. These procedures were followed so strictly that they became apparent. The experience at the Indian eatery was therefore unique. First, we sat on some mats around a large table with nearly five other people who were unknown to us. My father went around and washed everyone's hands. At the table was a massive dish of lamb and prune. There were several other dishes of different types of salads and some bread. A small piece of the bread was to be cut only by the left hand. Interestingly, the size of one's mouth determined the size of the piece that one needed to cut at a time. Since there was only one plate of the stew, one was allowed to dip this bread only on the edge of the part of the plate that was nearest to them. Also, one was to pick just a piece of the meat with every dip of the bread. Eating across the plate was forbidden as much as licking one's hands while they were eating. Further, it was recommended that one ate with three fingers. We were encouraged to talk to the people around us at the table as an indication that none was superior to the other in addition to cultivating friendship. At the end of the meal, we were allowed to lick our fingers if we so wished. A different person went around and washed everyone's hands.

The meal was doubtlessly delicious. The meat was so tender that it melted in my mouth and the bread so moist that I was tempted to cut huge chunks at a time. However, this was of little significance to me at that point since I got to learn some lessons that I cherish to date. That we sat on the floor with complete strangers and still got to enjoy the meal was a lesson on humility. I bonded with a girl who was seated next to me, and we later became friends. Also, I learned that cleanliness is a vital part of dining etiquette. The washing of hands before and after the meal and the restraint from licking one's fingers during the meal demonstrated this call for hygiene. I understood that cutting the bread with the left hand and eating with the right was intended to create some order at the table in that it ensured uniformity such that there were no collisions. Later on, I found out that Indians believed that the left hand is considered to be used for natural cleaning and should therefore not be used to eat. Also, eating from the edge of the plate that was closest to one was not only courteous but also encouraged mindfulness among the members.

This experience taught me that all the senses could enjoy the food. I could see the food, touch and smell it, before finally tasting it in my mouth. I also came to learn that it was believed that eating with one finger was associated with meanness. Three fingers, on the other hand, signified generosity. The thumb must be one of the three fingers as it is the one that pushes the food into one's mouth. It prevented one from driving all the fingers into the mouth as these would later be dipped into the stew and it would be unhygienic. Eating with the hands ensured that we cleared the food hence minimizing any waste. It was easy to get to the last piece of meat regardless of the size of the bones. It would otherwise have been cumbersome to eat that meat using forks and knives.

Conclusion

All in all, the experience detailed herein was a lesson that food enabled the formation of new friendships and the cultivation of mutual respect. Today, whenever I go out with my friends to an Indian restaurant, I relive the experience and strike new friendships as a bonus. Also, I have learned to respect the regard that different cultures have for their food. Consequently, I strive to diversify my experience with different kinds of foods and this keeps me interested in exploring different meals.

Work Cited

Ochs, Elinor, and Merav Shohet. "The cultural structuring of mealtime socialization." New directions for child and adolescent development 2006.111 (2006): 35-49.