For One Second...Put Down the Fork

After work today I cracked open a bottle of Oatmeal stout and started chomping down a few oatmeal chocolate chips cookies that were sent my way as a gift. I’ve been reading Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma lately and came across a line that I find very poignant:

“The pleasures of the table begin with eating…but they can end up anywhere human talk cares to go. In the same way the raw becomes cooked, eating becomes dining.”

There is a very distinct difference between eating and dining; one satisfies a physical need while the other satisfies a social one. Although eating—and being full—can be understood rather easily, there is no scale to measure the pleasure that a good meal and good company can bring.

Perhaps it was because I was dining on my cookies and beer alone, but this line really hit home. I see far too many people shoveling down food just to satisfy their bodily cravings without enjoying the presence of the person sitting across the table. Enjoy your company, people. Take a second to think about feeding more than your stomach.