Skip to main content

On Your Table Blog

November 27, 2024

Give thanks, enjoy your food

Give thanks, enjoy your food

Editor's note: This classic On Your Table post was written in 2018. We thought it seemed appropriate during this particular Thanksgiving holiday. We hope you all take time, enjoy family and friends, and give thanks.

By Heather Lang

Back in the day, the men would go out all day hunting for food. When they came back to the village that evening with their catch, everyone celebrated a job well done. If they didn’t catch anything on that day’s hunt, they didn’t have food. Food brought the village together. It was a communal experience. And they celebrated the food that helped them make it another day.

First dates often involve food. You go to a nice restaurant or, to make a good impression, cook a delectable dinner. Food serves as an ice breaker. And, if you end up not having anything else in common to talk about, you can always talk about the food.

During the holidays, people feast over food. A lot of the holiday planning is deciding what to eat. We tend to go to extreme lengths to be able to give our guests a dining experience that they will not forget; spending the entire day -- or even a few days -- in the kitchen preparing the ham, prime rib, turkey, roast, salmon or delicacies such as lamb, goat and lobster. Then there are the mouthwatering side dishes and Pinterest-worthy desserts.

Why, go through all that “trouble?” Because in the long run we don’t consider it trouble. It is a celebration. It is a way of bringing those we love together and being thankful for making it through another year.

Unfortunately, these days food seems to be more a topic of concern than a celebration. Our society has become driven by how others think we look or how others think we should look. And, we tend to send our health to the sidelines.

Whether you are a woman or a man, there are false perceptions about we should look and what we should eat. Let’s face it: We are not all created the same. Our bodies are all built differently. They all respond to things differently. Honestly, how boring would it be if we all fell into the same mold?

Rather than worry about it, let’s celebrate our food.

Let’s be thankful for the abundance we enjoy and those who provide it.

Let’s show our love and appreciation of others through food.