Foods Social Influence
My friends and I enjoying breakfast before a volleyball
game
Most people can easily identify and agree on the fact that food is a basic necessity for the physical survival of mankind. But is fueling our biological functions all that food does for the human race? Or does food go deeper than that in its service to humans?
I believe that food offers humans a social connection to other humans and can build relationships among people. Meals often offer the setting for friends and loved ones to gather, have fun and enjoy each other’s presence. It’s very common to hear about friends and families eating together and in this every day action most people do not realize or even stop to think that the conversations and interactions they are having are all due to the presence of food.
Many families have the tradition of annual family dinners. In my family these dinners serve the purpose of bringing the family together to discuss what was going on in our lives and coming together as a close unit to build our relationships together. Even more than that my family meals would teach me what family was about. Family is about being there for each other no matter what and putting your family’s needs and wants before your own. Over food we could discuss our wants, needs, issues and offer each other advice, confidence and love. Family meals clearly served us more than the basic nutrients needed for survival; they gave us the love and support of others.
Eating meals with friends also offers similar benefits. For most people eating in a social environment is a daily occurrence. Although the average person will not think too deeply about how their lunch time conversation was only possible to have because he was, in fact, eating lunch. In our society it is extremely common for a group of friends to go out for lunch or dinner.
But why do they do this? My friends and I do this not because we have to in order to get nutrients to survive, we do it because we wish to engage in social interactions with one another. Meals with my friends and I are usually loud and crazy; everyone is having a good time, relaxing, blowing off steam and being themselves in an exciting atmosphere. People seek similar social atmospheres that meals provide for my friends and I in order to share their experiences, seek advice and for stress relief. Plus at the end of the day watching the big game a Buffalo Wild Wings with a group of friends is a lot more fun than sitting alone in your basement with a pizza.
It is clear that in our current society food is not only sought after as a means of survival. People have learned to use food to also develop their social skills and to better their emotional lives. My social skills and interactions are largely based around meals because that is when everyone is together. They pose a great opportunity for me to unwind, relax and vent to keep my mind at ease. It is clear that food’s role in the lives of humans has evolved and now provides man with not only the physical means of survival but also the social and emotional needs.
I believe that food offers humans a social connection to other humans and can build relationships among people. Meals often offer the setting for friends and loved ones to gather, have fun and enjoy each other’s presence. It’s very common to hear about friends and families eating together and in this every day action most people do not realize or even stop to think that the conversations and interactions they are having are all due to the presence of food.
Many families have the tradition of annual family dinners. In my family these dinners serve the purpose of bringing the family together to discuss what was going on in our lives and coming together as a close unit to build our relationships together. Even more than that my family meals would teach me what family was about. Family is about being there for each other no matter what and putting your family’s needs and wants before your own. Over food we could discuss our wants, needs, issues and offer each other advice, confidence and love. Family meals clearly served us more than the basic nutrients needed for survival; they gave us the love and support of others.
Eating meals with friends also offers similar benefits. For most people eating in a social environment is a daily occurrence. Although the average person will not think too deeply about how their lunch time conversation was only possible to have because he was, in fact, eating lunch. In our society it is extremely common for a group of friends to go out for lunch or dinner.
But why do they do this? My friends and I do this not because we have to in order to get nutrients to survive, we do it because we wish to engage in social interactions with one another. Meals with my friends and I are usually loud and crazy; everyone is having a good time, relaxing, blowing off steam and being themselves in an exciting atmosphere. People seek similar social atmospheres that meals provide for my friends and I in order to share their experiences, seek advice and for stress relief. Plus at the end of the day watching the big game a Buffalo Wild Wings with a group of friends is a lot more fun than sitting alone in your basement with a pizza.
It is clear that in our current society food is not only sought after as a means of survival. People have learned to use food to also develop their social skills and to better their emotional lives. My social skills and interactions are largely based around meals because that is when everyone is together. They pose a great opportunity for me to unwind, relax and vent to keep my mind at ease. It is clear that food’s role in the lives of humans has evolved and now provides man with not only the physical means of survival but also the social and emotional needs.