To dine: to eat the principal meal of the day. (Dictionary.com)
When we hear the term “dine,” we commonly think of eating a main meal, such as dinner. The idea of dining always seems to be associated with poshness. This association may be because when we picture people dining, we often picture well-dressed people chatting over gourmet meals, sipping wine and using flashy silverware. Or, this association may be because a dining room is typically the nicest, best-kept room of a house or hotel. Whatever the reason may be, dining is always made out to be a big, fancy ordeal.
However, in my house, we consider dining not an ordeal but rather a necessity of everyday life. To my family, dining means taking the time to slow down and come together over a meal. This meal may be a warm, home cooked meal, a shared takeout pizza, or even a simple lunch sandwich. The type of food is irrelevant. What we find most important is that we are pausing our busy schedules in order to spend a moment with each other. Often times, if we are dining at dinnertime, we discuss what we did that day. Other times, someone brings up an interesting topic, and we have a long, deep discussion or debate about that topic. And sometimes, we may not say much at all. We eat our meal in relative silence, save for the clink of silverware against plates. Nevertheless, we are together. Though the location matters less than our togetherness, there is one key aspect of dining that must be mentioned: we dine without electronics. I cannot recall a single time when my family and I ate a meal together while watching television. TV dinners were first introduced to me at friends’ houses. Phones are also out of the picture, regardless of whether we are at a restaurant or at home. It’s not that we would be shunned for texting at the dinner table. We simply do not consider using a phone, because we know that this moment together is precious. When else during the day do we have the chance to live completely in the present, sharing a moment with those most important to us?
As a result of being raised to value the act of dining, I try to slow down over a meal even when my parents aren’t around. For example, last week when I put together a salad at lunchtime, I made sure to make enough for my sister, laid out two placemats and invited her take a break from studying in her room and come dine with me. We ended up sitting in the kitchen together for over an hour, chatting about her new college life and my junior year.
Lastly, when we dine, we appreciate the meal, and value the quality. Meanwhile, when we eat a meal on-the-fly, while doing homework, or watching movie, it’s easy to forget to be grateful that we are fortunate enough to even have food! Dining allows food to not only nourish our bodies with nutrients, but also to nourish our souls with gratitude, our minds with a moment to reflect, and our relationships with quality time together. So next time you grab a plate of leftovers on your way to the couch for a movie marathon, I encourage you to think twice. Consider nourishing your body, soul, mind, and relationships. Consider the art of dining.