Why do we eat?

What are your family’s top 3 favorite meals?

Eating is one of those things which we all must do since our very survival and well-being depends on it. While some workaholics may claim they don’t really have any proper time for eating and those cups of black coffee are sufficient, I say they are in for a big surprise down the road.



People consume a variety of food items every day across the world. While initially the type of food consumed was largely dependent upon the produce grown, reared and what was naturally available within a certain region, today we have almost all variety of food items from across the world available to us.



So why exactly do we eat..?



“Food provides us with essential nutrients which helps our body function and also repair itself,” said seven years old Divya and that is the literally the only reasoning we must focus open



“I like eating potato chips, the onion and herb flavoured ones. I know that it is junk food but it tastes so good,” said Divya’s younger brother Hitesh. That is true as well, the taste of the food does influence the way we feel. We feel our moods and our minds uplifted by the taste of our favourite food items. Many commercially successful food items have been created to exploit those test buds and attract consumers. But, even among the variety of food we normally consume at home, there are those which attract our taste buds the most, like my favourite dum aloo, a potato-based curry dish.





“I think some of the food items also represent family heritage,like the special mixed veg, I like to cook. It is a recipe which I learnt from my mother who learnt it from her grandfather,” said Divya’s grandmother. Yes, recipe’s do become heritage and, in many houses, I have eaten food items unique by their taste, the recipe of which has been passed down through the family tree. You may also find restaurants and other eating joints which make food based on their family recipes.



“What about culture?” said Divya’s mother, “don’t some food items represent our culture and we enjoy those items on special events.” Absolutely, events such as festivals also bring in with them some associated food items which have been traditionally consumed during these times and there is some kind of trick to it, because according to my experience when it is not that particular festival and you eat that food item, it doesn’t really feel the same. You can call it our minds playing tricks on us, but it is as it is and I think everyone enjoys it that way.



There are certainly other not so preferrable situations which lead to food consumption, excessive food consumption to be precise, they can be a result of stress and depression or just a habit of eating.



Well to conclude I think there is a whole lot to our eating more than what has been mentioned and the deeper you think about it the more meanings you may come across. Initially I did start with the love for outside junk food or the ones filled with preservatives, but the delicious meals my grandmother cooked slowly but very effectively brought me to a place where I prefer fresh home cooked meals over any other thing available outside. 

Written by Anuran Chatterji

Hey, Connect with Us:)

• WordPress
• Instagram