all in a meal

ever pondered what goes in a meal? is it the food? is it the company? is it the ambience? for us chinese, we always sit down to have a meal together in all types of situations. when we get married, we have a meal. when a child reaches the first full month, we have a meal. when someone gets promoted, we have a meal. when it is somebody's birthday, we have a meal. when somebody is leaving the company, we have a meal. when someone is going overseas, we have a meal. when we try to settle grievances, we have a meal. when someone in the family passes away, we have a meal. up to 7 meals we have at funerals of the dearly departed! what is with all this eating, you might ponder.

thing is, sitting down together to have a meal is the best form of psychiatric and psychological treatment. when we sit down to have that meal, be it just 2 persons or in a large group, we all share. little news and updates, anecdotes and jokes. we show concern and help to comfort each other. there never is a dull moment at a meal. even when a meal is all silent, the presence of the company, can speak volumes greater than of those not present. sharing a meal might seem like a simple everyday affair but the intricacies of a meal goes beyond just food. you might come to a meal feeling upset but you will never leave a meal feeling worse. many a deals have been struck at meals. marriage proposals, business deals, cooperative agreements among many other wonderful stuff that are discussed or shared at a meal. such are the wonders of a meal.