No Cellphones at the Dinner Table

"Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly." --M.F.K. Fisher

Sharing a meal with someone should be intimate, personal. I am disgusted when I go out to eat and see people glued to some sort of electronic device, while they absently shovel food into their mouth and ignore others at their table. Perhaps it's old-fashioned southern DNA inside me that is offended by this "modern trend", but I have seen this social faux pas played out repeatedly in eateries below the Mason-Dixon Line, which suggests that not all southerners are subject to that genetic trait! My extended family raised us all to treat a meal as a social time, where fellowship and conversation were as essential as the food being served. My father once told me that when he was a child, his father had a hard and fast rule at mealtime, no one left the table until everyone was done eating. While I am guilty of breaking Grandpa Charlie's rule, I think it's a good one and I am mindful not to abandon the slow eaters at my table.

Are we becoming a race of people who have more ways than ever to communicate with one another, which we waste by not actually communicating? Have we become so "plugged in" that we are losing the most important connection of all...to each other? Mealtime is a prime time of day to stop, take a breath, and enjoy someone's company over something yummy. I'm issuing a challenge to all my readers: Over the next five days, at least once a day, sit and have a meal with someone...friend, family, co-worker, love interest. Eliminate all distractions, i.e. cellphones, TV, computer/laptop, etc. and use that time to talk, share, and enjoy whomever you're dining with. Bring a lunch to work and sit outside with a co-worker, sharing an impromptu picnic. Get up a little earlier and eat breakfast with your children. Invite someone you haven't seen or spoken with in awhile out to dinner and take your time over the meal catching up. Have a romantic dinner with someone you love on a random day of the week (even if it's as simple as lighting some candles and sitting out on the back porch while you eat). However you envision fulfilling the challenge is fine with me, as long as you stick to the "zero distractions" part. I hope you'll share your "Eating Adventures" with me in the comments section of this blog. I'd love to hear your stories!

*Image from evmcd.net.