Blog Post 5

Blog Post 5

In Horwitz’s article “Eating on the Edge,” he provides insight into how eating habits have changed over time as well as from country to country. He points out that Americans don’t enjoy traditional meal times and structures as in other countries like in Europe.

            Horwitz writes, “What was once an archetype of the commensal is now widely available in a variety of single-serving packages.” This movement of on-the-go eating has made Americans crave convenience and quickness in the delivery and consumption of various food products. Horwitz writes from experience when he recalls when TV dinners were first being produces and how they systematically shattered the traditional ideals of eating at the diner table together as a family and moved towards eating by the television with little interaction. He also includes an example involving NASA where the astronauts tend to eat on the go instead of gathering and eating together as a unit of colleagues. These events led to what we see today in American society.

            Contrasting this example of American astronauts’ eating behaviors while in space, many Europeans continued the traditional approach to dining and ate together as part of not only a routine, but as a way of staying close and connected.

            I do not want to continue down the path that Americans have set over the last half century. I prefer eating with others so I can get to know people better, relax, and truly enjoy a meal. However, this is not always possible as I have an increasingly busy lifestyle. Sometimes I simply cannot stop and eat with friends for an hour when I have so much to get to. Regrettably, I, too often, consume fast food and other less nutritious and tasty meals because I have to keep plugging on through the day.