Gourmet Nation: The New American Cuisine is a podcast from http://www.aworldofpossibilities.com/ about food and a return to modern wholesomeness in enjoying food and eating.
The culture around us is basically Fast Food run amok. One of the speakers in the program talks about how the chain restaurants have somehow reworked food so you don't even have to chew, you just inhale and you've consumed your daily nutrition. They didn't refer to this but the image which came to mind was the Star Trek (original generation) episode where the alien species had these pills they ate which gave them all the nutrition they needed and there was no more need for regular food. The method they used to subdue these aliens was to expose them to food, the enjoyments of food and I especially recall the enjoyments of liquor.
Community is one of our core needs .. that is, real honest and lasting connections with other people.
Community happens when people get together for a common purpose.
Therefore it occurred to me that one of the forms of community is the dinner table and the kitchen. That in the kitchen or at the dinner table you have people coming together, daily, to have their common purpose and needs met, namely sustenance. But as a side effect it brings people together for more than just sharing nutrition, it brings them together for enjoyment, for sharing their heart with each other, etc.
