Celebrating Our Love of Food & the Role Food Plays in Our Relationships
Throughout history, families and friends gathering around for food is a tradition that is strongly ingrained in our cultures, no matter where you live. We celebrate food and associate it with belongingness and a sense of comfort felt by the people we love. From its role in new connections to its importance in maintaining deep family ties and relationships, how we celebrate food is a universal love language–and a catalyst–that allows us to create wonderful memories that last a lifetime.
No matter where you are in the world and no matter how you celebrate food with the people you value, it is always, and will forever be, associated with strengthening relationships. In this post, Napoleon will explain why there is a strong correlation between food and relationships.
Before reading, don’t forget to check out our broad list of recipes that will come in handy every time you celebrate food with your loved ones!
The Psychology Why We Celebrate Food and its Association with Forming Relationships
It’s more than just “food for thought,” literally and figuratively. While it is common practice to share a meal with our loved ones and friends, there is actually science behind why we feel a sense of comfort in this tradition.
Throughout the decades, studies have been performed to further understand why we connect our emotional satisfaction with food and associate it not only with survival but also with strengthening kinship at all levels.
In a study conducted by Frontiers in Psychology, focusing on the role of food in empathic emotion regulation, the research proved that social connections and relationships greatly influence our eating behavior. Additionally, this behavior can actually strengthen relationships in terms of bonds.
To give you an example, when two people offered food to each other, observers in the study rated the relationship as “closer,” compared to situations when no food was offered.
Now that we have explained why we are naturally wired to celebrate food and associate it with our relationships, here are some ways how we do so.
How We Celebrate Food and its Role on Love and Relationships
Eating Together as a Family
Perhaps the most common way we celebrate food is through sharing a huge meal with the family, or what we call “breaking the bread.” It’s such a significant family practice, especially on special occasions, that even those who live far from home make the effort to be present at the dinner table. Meals with the family will always be associated with moments when we share stories, laugh, relive the old days, and look forward to the future.
Preparing a Meal for Your Loved One
There’s a saying that “food is a love language.” It is considered as an act of service, and taking the time to prepare a meal for your partner is a form of showing affection.
Just by simply finding out what your partner likes to eat in certain moods and situations and by making time to set a romantic mood, you celebrate food as a way to show your appreciation, affection, and care for the person who means to you the most.
Cooking or Sharing a Meal With Friends
By gathering friends together for a bonding experience over a meal, we celebrate food as a way to connect our experiences, catch up on recent events, and enjoy a good time that all leads to stronger bonds. Eating together releases positive energy and emotions, as it also allows us to practice the concept of sharing and generosity.
Offering Food to Make Someone Feel Better
When a loved one or a close friend is sick or experiencing any type of gloominess, it’s a common caring reflex to send the person some food to usher in positive energy. This is where the concept of “comfort food” comes into play, and we celebrate food in a way where it creates a sense of instant joy and pleasure.
Using Bake Sales, or Other Types of Food Sales to Raise Funds
Selling food items in order to raise money for those in need is a form of compassion and empathy. Hence, this is a way to celebrate food to show that we are willing to lend a helping hand to those who are going through tough times. Taking the effort to shop for ingredients, cook, package, and set up a stall, are all efforts that attest to how powerful food can be when it comes to expressing our innate desires to help.
How Do You Express Your Love With Food?
Food brings us together, and if you have a personal story about how you celebrate food with your loved ones, we’d love to hear all about it! Share your ideas with the Napoleon community by tagging us on Instagram.
You can also follow us on YouTube, where we can teach you different grilling techniques - along with our easy-to-follow grilled recipe tutorials in the #NapoleonEats video series. Watch our videos to develop kitchen skills and cooking techniques to let you celebrate food and use it to express your gratitude to the people you love most.