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The Radical Act of Eating Together
Half of London eats alone nearly every day
A bottle of wine comes out of the fridge and is uncorked with a pop. A big pot of ragú is gently bubbling on the stove, ready to be eaten whenever we are.
But we’re not ready yet. There is a glass of wine to be had first. Then a green course — dressed seasonal green vegetables that mark the beginning of most of our meals.
We scrape every morsel of ragú off our plates, but we’re in no rush. So we sobremesa — the Spanish ritual of remaining seated after a meal just to talk and digest. We chat about our day. About our life. Our future. The state of the world. What is on TV right now. Anything to extend the night and the feeling of connection around our tiny kitchen table.
This isn’t a special occasion, it's just a Thursday. It’s how we eat, my husband and I. It’s how we’ve structured most of our meals for the last 21 years.
It’s my favourite part of the day, this radical act of eating together.
The word radical may seem excessive for this situation, but if the dictionary definition is “very different from the usual,” then eating together is radical.
Only 26% of British families eat together despite 55% claiming to be happiest when they do. In the US, 46% of families…
