Few things bring humanity together in such a positive way as food. Gathering to enjoy a meal with friends, family, or even complete strangers offers a chance to put our differences aside and share in the one thing that sustains each and every one of us.
The universal joy of eating a delicious and nourishing meal enriches the human spirit and draws us closer to those seated alongside us. Food also provides the opportunity to appreciate the rich cultural heritage that’s so often at the root of our favorite recipes. The simple bite of a perfectly flavored roast or leafy salad can unite us with ancestors past just as it brings us nearer to those next to us at the table.
Here are eight quotes that highlight food’s undeniable ability to connect us all.
Food for us comes from our relatives, whether they have wings or fins or roots. That is how we consider food. Food has a culture. It has a history. It has a story. It has relationships.
If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him. The people who give you their food give you their heart.
Food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from those from the get-go.
The stove is the shrine where I convene with my ancestors.
Food is strength, and food is peace, and food is freedom, and food is a helping hand to people around the world whose goodwill and friendship we want.
After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relatives.
Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something holy. It’s not about nutrients and calories. It’s about sharing. It’s about honesty. It’s about identity.
Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.
Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Featured Image Credit: Daniel Zuchnik/ WireImage via Getty Images
Bennett Kleinman
Bennett is a staff writer at Optimism as well as a freelance comedy writer. He's based in New York City.
