01 Jun 2010 League City, United States of America
Category: Western culture
I wrote about different customs at the lunch or dinner table and friends reminded me that it is very common to talk while you are having a meal here in the West. That is in Germany just like in the US for some families the only time for talking with each other. Often families are not connected throughout the whole day and when they are together then, one time a day, they of course want to talk to each other.
It is good if families come together for sharing the day and being together. I actually like to concentrate on my food and I know that sometimes people ask something and I do not reply because I am just eating. I like to do only one thing at one moment. It is not that I would not say one word because of manners or tradition, I just feel it is difficult to fully concentrate on a conversation. In India it is generally not usual to talk during food and I believe that in earlier times it was also not usual in Europe, either. Times, habits and manners change.
In whatever way, you need to enjoy both, your food and your company. And we enjoyed our company here with the family of Jeff and Joanne very much. In one hour Kevin will pick us up and drop us at the airport in Houston from where we will fly back to New York. We had a great time here and are happy to have some more friends now in this part of the world.
Tags:: Family, Food, Happiness, Western culture, Tradition, Sharing, Habits
4 Comments
Posted By Swami Balendu
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I think both options are okay, to eat without talking and to eat and to talk. It always depends on the culture and on the context. Some people are so busy and they are working the whole day and come home late. For them the time when they eat, is sometimes the only possibility for a talk with their partner or family. Other people simply can't enjoy their meal, when they are sitting alone at the table.
Reply By Mirela on August 23, 2012 01:58
My second meal here at the Ashram and I noticed how much more enjoyable it is to eat and not feel pressure to talk. I appreciate the food much more when I am not expected to contribute to the conversation. In the West it is often awkward to have silence at the table which can make people feel uncomfortable. However, for families everywhere with some children at school and some adults out at work, the evening meal is often the only time when families can sit down altogether and discuss their days and thoughts.
Reply By Charlotte Brown on December 28, 2011 01:06
My family and I don't have dinner together just so we won't have to talk to each other, haha. Maybe we could eat together if we were Indian.
Reply By Frida on January 13, 2011 02:30
That`s absolutly true, in the past it wasn`t common at all to talk to each other turing having a meal. I remember as a child my father always told me to be quiet while everybody is eating. And if Germans stick to what is called having a very good behaviour they still don`t talk to each other. But this is not easy to practice turing all the buisness meals and meals on celebrations where everybody starts to talk at the lunch table.
Reply By Armin on August 31, 2010 08:05
Today was the last day of the school year 11/12. The children got their report cards, the olde...
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