From Michael Pollan's book
In Defense of Food:"That one should feel the need to mount a defense of 'the meal' is sad, but then I never would have thought 'food' needed defending, either. Most readers will recall the benefits of eating meals without much prompting from me. It is at the dinner table that we socialize and civilize our children, teaching them manners and the art of conversation. At the dinner table parents can determine portion sizes, model eating and drinking behavior, and enforce social norms about greed and gluttony and waste. Share meals are about much more than fueling bodies; they are uniquely human institutions where our species developed language and this thing we call culture."
I feel I have failed miserably in this regard as far as Ollie's upbringing so far. Currently, and despite some effort on my part, his favorite place to eat now is in front of the TV. Partly because I gave up trying to fight him to the table, and partly because of some other influences in his life, the innocent of which shall remain nameless.
A good read, by the way. Some of it I was already aware of and some of it was a surprising and new--a new way of looking at our current food culture and the historical shaping/molding of our current state in America. To the farmers market I go. Although, it's kind of sad that I picked up this book at the very same time as trying to considerably decrease our monthly food budget. Cause real food ain't cheap.
