Communal Dining

On this blog of Jewish food and nutrition there has been different categories of things I have written about: Traditional Jewish foods and their significance, foods pertaining more specifically to Israel and general concepts around food in Judaism like fast days and the separation of meat and milk. A common thread among all these things is that the combination of food and Judaism - will undoubtedly result in some sort of communal dining experience. Jewish holidays – both festive and serious, celebrations and commemorations, Israels Independence Day, the Jewish New Year and so on and so forth. When there is food, in come the aunts, the uncles, the 3^rd cousins once removed, the friend’s friend and the neighbours dog.

We don’t even think twice about having two large meals with 15 people every week. But is there a benefit to communal eating other than the social aspect?

I recently read an article talking about this very topic. It compared the dining experience 

of a single person eating alone each night, to a family or group of friends eating together.

Scenario 1: Person comes home from work. Person is lazy to cook for him/herself. Person sits in front of the TV or computer and eats a packet of food “x” or orders in pizza, or doesn't eat all together.

Scenario 2: Person comes home from work. Person is lazy to cook for him/herself – but decides to invite some friends over for dinner. Friends cook dinner together, eat slowly, talk and end the night feeling happy and satisfied.

Ok, so maybe the two situations are a little exaggerated but you get the gist.

Back to the article – conclusion was that eating with other people has been shown to have health benefits as well, and this goes for all age groups. In nursing homes, having a communal dining hall will inspire the elderly to eat adequately compared to sitting in their room on their own. School kids are more likely to eat a nutritious dinner when eaten together with the family.  Adolescents are less likely to develop eating disorders and skip meals. Children also eat by example and will learn healthy eating habits from their parents.

And then you have the miscellaneous group of people aged 20+ that live on their own and are more likely to skip dinner/eat quickly/order take away food/eat a  tub of ice cream for dinner. 

While one may argue that having large meals with a lot of people might result in over consumption (hello – Jewish world) – it also  brings the opportunity to consume foods like salad, soup, roast chicken (as opposed to a burger and chips) and in general – less processed foods. People are less likely to binge eat in the company of others (usually) and may be inspired to try new foods. Food usually tastes a lot better when eaten with others. Although, now with people posting their lunch on Instagram, it sort of replicates the experience of sharing a meal in real life (does it?).

There has also been a trend for communal dining restaurants that offer the opportunity for strangers to eat a meal together at one table to benefit from this experience.  

Yesterday in Israel was an example of communal eating being brought to life. Israel celebrated its independence and it seemed like the entire country filled any single outdoor area despite the not-such-great weather. Family and friends sat together over a BBQ and enjoyed the fresh air, food and company. Nothing else quite like it..