"I am What I eat"

In my family food is more than just nourishment to our bodies, it’s heeling to our souls. I’m not trying to say that we overeat or love food to an excessive extent, but rather I say this because food is what brings our family together; it makes us whole. As time passes, our lives seem to become more occupied with work and things outside the family; we begin loose connection and bonding with those who matter most. When my family comes together it’s always for dinner. Sitting at my mother’s table we are linked once again. We talk and laugh while enjoying a wonderful meal. It’s not about what type of food it was or even if it tasted right; food brings my family closer together. When getting together now, it makes me remember when I was young. My parents made my brother and I eat with them up until we had jobs in high school. They felt that dinner with everyone was important to stay together; in order to remain connected as a family. I am so glad for what they did; they were not simply feeding us dinner, but instilling values and traditions that made us feel complete and whole as a family. In the future when I begin to raise a family, I will also insist on having dinner as a family; I must maintain tradition.


“Food,” the word in itself can cause a rather unfathomable amount of thoughts to travel through ones mind. The thought of food can do more than make you salivate; it assists you in remembering those moments and took your breath away; moments like a proposal over dinner, or Thanksgiving with friends or family. There will always be moments in our lives where food will play a significant part of a memory. In America food is our glue, it assists in helping people stay connected. Our culture’s events, practices, and lifestyles revolve around food. It makes sense that our lives reflect food in all aspects; for food is essential to life. Food is our nourishment to our minds, and souls, not simply our bodies. America is known for food being a means to meet with one another. It’s actually quite disturbing that America is slowly loosing that connection. Fast food is taking over America by force. In an article written by Richard Pillsbury, he discusses how Americans are loosing quality time that should be spent. He argues that dinner should be spent with family at the dinner table because it insures that children will grow to become better individuals; that we must maintain this tradition. He states, “The replacement of the family dinner table by the restaurant has been amazingly swift” (Pillsbury 190). He then continued saying, “How many parents will wonder why their relationship with their children is not like their with their parents” (Pillsbury 192)? These passages from the author clearly show how not only is food important to American culture, but to the overall well being of our youth. With all the meals spent apart, there can be no other time for connection. In my family, this particular American tradition of eating together regularly has always been enforced. We do enjoy eating out, but only occasionally. There is something about cooking together and eating at home; for a moment, everyone is connected with one another. There is time to visit and share events of the day. I suppose it’s fair and accurate to say that food is essential to my family’s overall well being. I’m not trying to say that we overeat or love food to an excessive extent, but rather I say this because food is what brings our family together; it makes us whole. As time passes, our lives seem to become more occupied with work and things outside the family; we begin loose connection and bonding with those who matter most. When my family comes together it’s always for dinner. Sitting at my mother’s table we are linked once again. We talk and laugh while enjoying a wonderful meal. It’s not about what type of food it was or even if it tasted right; food brings my family closer together. When getting together now, it makes me remember when I was young. My parents made my brother and I eat with them up until we had jobs in high school. They felt that dinner with everyone was important to stay together; in order to remain connected as a family. I am so glad for what they did; they were not simply feeding us dinner, but instilling values and traditions that made us feel complete and whole as a family. In the future when I begin to raise a family, I will also insist on having dinner as a family; I must maintain tradition. I feel that food is important to American culture. Though we are becoming a nation where fast food is “easier” and less work, it is important that no matter what eaten or where it is consumed, food should always be eaten together, with friends and family.


Pillsbury, Richard
Thoroughly Modern Dining. Ed. Leasa Burton. Boston: Bedford/ ST. Martin’s, 2006. Pgs. 190-192.