Mediterranean Cuisine is one of the most interesting types of food. It is a mix of natural diets, cultures and traditions that all over the world come together to create traditional dishes that reflect what the Mediterranean region could be. Often the dishes are mouth-watering concoctions of French, Italian and Spanish flavors that showcase how ingredients from each country are blended together.
We eat, and we reflect and find a way to move ahead. We seek out comfort the way we always do, in loved ones and in the food. Making food and sharing meals with others, whether catching up over a dinner or eating at an event, is believed to lead to a happier and healthier life.
Food can bring people together in a plethora of ways – eating together, cooking together, and learning about food together are surefire ways to bring you and your loved one closer. People who love to eat are always the best people, and we’re willing to agree. Mealtimes have evolved from being a simple exercise to a true bonding experience, one that holds a special place in several cultures worldwide.
In fact, food is so ingrained in the social landscape that it’s hard to imagine any kind of gathering without it. From office lunches to dinner parties, special event banquets or weekly friends meet-up, many memories are often whilst sat around the dining table. Researchers from the Oxford University recently found how often people eat with others. Their results suggest that the more often one eats with friends or family members, the more likely they are to feel satisfied and happy with their lives. Socializing is important for a person’s both physical and mental wellbeing, and social eating plays an important role in bonding with others.
Mediterranean Food – The Ultimate Social Agent
In the past, during the Greek Empire, it was seen that food and dining as a group as much as about enjoying company and conviviality as it was about the cuisine. This continued throughout the Roman Era, during which the Roman dinner party became a main stay in society. We may have a long way since then, but the intrinsic role food plays within societies and families as a bonding agent has remained. People tend to think that they use a logic when they make business related or any other decisions, but they are largely unaware that food preferences can influence their thinking.
Basically, food can be used strategically to help people work together and build trust. Eating together with friends and family members essentially enables us to stay connected with them. Families and friends often use the time at the dinner table to discuss their days, work, life in general, or current affairs, allowing bonding to take place over the food. There is also the fun of eating different foods and sharing different recipes, specifically across cultures.
There’s also evidence that suggests – eating together is good for us; studies have shown that families who eat together are healthier, benefitting from lower rates of depression and obesity along with the higher rates of self-esteem and literacy. When food is bringing people together, what are ways that it can be done? The Mediterranean diet means sharing and enjoying even the most decent meal.
Here are the 5 ways that describes how food brings people together.
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Food Lets Us Stay Connected
A sit-down meal or even an ice cream run allows us to talk and catch up with our friends and family and check in on how they are doing. It’s important to stay connected with the people in your life, especially if you’re busy. When you go out for a meal, everyone can discuss their lives and how they are doing. You can stay connected with friends and family members with food. It gives us a safe space to talk about our days, our fears and anxieties, our ups and downs, our joys and successes.
How’s their family doing? What’s going on with work? Gossip? Sharing a meal together with friends or family is also a great way to maintain our relationships. It’s highly beneficial to have close people in your life to lean on throughout life’s challenges. Connection with the people we surround ourselves with highly benefits our well-being, so be sure to take a break from your busy routine and enjoy a meal with somebody.
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It Allows Us To Learn About Food
An excellent way to bring people together with food is to spend time with family and learn how to cook with them. You can chat with them while you cook Mediterranean food. They will tell you how they learned the dish or why it is important to them. It will make them to recount stories from their childhood and why they loved it when they first tried that dish. Sharing a recipe with a friend or trying out a new recipe together is a great way to learn about food.
Learning new things helps people bring people together by encouraging them to start a conversation about food and interact with each other. Learning to make food with others is also a great opportunity to get the creative juices flowing and broaden our scope of what we can achieve with simple ingredients. By cooking and eating food together, you learn more about the history of the dish you’re making and simply get to enjoy your time with each other.
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With Mediterranean Food We Share Our Culture
The most significant part of culture is food. Culture is a big part of food and Mediterranean food is a big part of many cultures. All dishes have distinctive meanings. It could be special for birthdays, events, weddings, or holidays. A way to learn about the culture is through food – why people make it, what it means, and why is it special. You can eat traditional dishes from your own culture with your family, and learn about your own heritage through passed-down food recipes within your own family.
Another way to bring people together through food and shared culture is by sharing a cultural dish from your family members with your friends. Not only cultural expression through food allows us to be exposed to new flavors, but it also gives us an understanding of how other cultures deviate from our own in their cuisines. Learning about your or someone else’s culture is made simple by trying the food. By eating together, you become more aware of each other’s cultural background and the food that comes with it.
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We Live Longer
Sharing meals with the people you love leads to a longer lifespan because doing so gives people a strong connection with the people in your community. While sharing a meal or cooking with someone you love may seem small in the big scheme of things, moments like these are necessary to increase our mental well-being. According to the 2014 study by the Mental Health Organization, eating well is associated with mental well-being, as one’s poor diet and overall physical health correlate with the state of their mental health. Eating healthy is super important, but having emotional support from your friends and family is vital for living a healthy and long life.
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Mediterranean Food Gives Us Comfort
What’s the best way to cheer someone up? Comfort and delicious food! People feel better if they have something they love to eat. Don’t you feel better when you’re having a rough day and your mother comes into your room with your favorite dinner?
Sharing food with a friend or a family member during times of trouble not only nourishes our bodies but also our souls.Even eating something from childhood will bring back so many memories. Such as eating a dish that you used to have with a loved one who has gone. Sometimes all we need is scrumptious food that just hits the spot and takes us away from any emotional turmoil we’re having, and it’s really comforting to have someone to share that Mediterranean food with. In these uncertain moments, it is the familiar feeling of food that offers the most comfort.
Final Words
Mediterranean food helps us find our way closer to each other, as we gather together to prepare a meal and sit down for dinner. People love delicious food as much as they love each other, so together they bring happiness and joy to all. Few things are so much calmer than enjoying a meal with friends and family. There’s just something about indulging in delicious food that really gives us a different feel and brings people together. It’s the same when you’re dining with strangers. As the Mediterranean food flows, you will find that people open up, sharing stories of their life, from their joys and successes to their failures and fears.
As Mediterranean food nourishes your body, so does the conversation nourish your soul. It really is such an intimate act to share a meal with a stranger, friends, or a family member – you never know who you will connect with or what stories you’ll hear with unique dining experiences.
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