Food IS culture!

I can do nothing but agree with my esteemed Spants.  I spent four years studying cultural anthropology before I realized I'd much rather study dead humans than live ones, but I walked away with a lesson I will never forget.  Food is more than fuel.  Food is life.  Food is family, friends, other people.  Food is modern Homo sapiens

So many times I've heard, "all social events include food!"  Or, "you eat more with other people.  Don't eat and skip those holidays pounds!"  No, thank you.  When one goes to a party, and one doesn't eat, one is immediately ostracized.  People will remain cordial, but will be thinking, "WHY is this person not eating?"  They may even question your physical (or mental) well-being.  It is more socially acceptable to be the person at the party who eats the entire bowl of shrimp cocktail than it is to be the person at the party who eats nothing.

Fire pit at Atiahara

Animal bones are found scattered around the earliest known human archaeological sites that contain evidence of fire pits.  They're found before any evidence of fire pits, in layers with Acheulean hand axes and hammer stones.  Whether that species of Homo hunted or scavenged his meat, cooked or ate it raw, he ate it with his contemporaries.  Fellow members of his social group.  Later, settlements featured other aspects of human culture--cave paintings, ornamental weapons and tools--and often, a fire pit and animal remains.  Humans ate together as they culturally advanced together.  How did we out-compete the Neanderthals?  We were better at getting food to feed a group than they were!

A potlatch.

Feasts and offerings of food are found in the the Vedas, the Pentatuch, and the Christian Bible.  Leviticus is a veritable text book on what Hebrews were allowed and not allowed to eat.  Vishnu has been described as only accepting food offerings prepared in a certain way (everyone has a picky friend).  Jesus attended a wedding feast and turned the water into wine (who doesn't like an open bar at a wedding?).  Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest held legendary potlatches, huge gatherings where food and gifts were presented to contemporaries to celebrate a fruitful harvest and show off one's wealth.  We have that today, the potluck, a concept that is well-known to almost everyone in the New World and has been written about as early as the 16th century.  Human culture and religion is rife with food.  From tator tots eaten in a high school cafeteria to filet mignon eaten to celebrated inking that lucrative business deal, we eat and live together. 

So why fight it?  You eat with friends just as you laugh with friends.  Go to that party starving and ready to fill your face.  Circle that buffet table knowing your friends will be doing the same.  Talk about how much weight you're gaining and how you can't believe you just polished off your fifth mini-quiche while you go for more meatballs.  Invite your bestie over for a home-cooked meal and a bottle of wine to gush about your favorite band.  Take out of town visitors to the most important tourist sites your city has to offer--its restaurants.  Raise your fork and your glass, then dive in for seconds and order dessert.

And don't scoff when you're with a group of people and someone immediately asks, "so, when are we eating?"

~Indianadelae