Welcome back ya’ll! It’s hot here. Western Europe seems to be in a bit of a heat wave makes the days feel like a hot yoga class and the nights feel like…a regular yoga class. I sweat pretty constantly and/but rarely pee. That’s healthy right?! Right guys?! Guys?
Anyway, last time I wrote about the Mediterranean diet and how it is more than just eating healthy, but rather there is a social component to eating that just can’t be ignored. Commensality is the practice of eating together. Socio-cultural rules differ across the world and dictate who eats with whom, who decides the menu, who cooks, etc.. Douglas famously stated that in England “drinks are for strangers and hot meals are for close family and friends” (Douglas, 1972). In Spain, it seems all things are for everyone, all the time. (Hey Bill, wanna get a glass of wine at Burger King at 11 am? You betcha! - That’s real.)
There’s a fair amount of research on this topic too! Eating together is linked to feelings of cohesion, sense of purpose, and happiness whereas solo dining is often linked to poor eating habits, isolation, and depression. There were many observations of this over the Covid pandemic when many were suddenly forced to eat alone. I can also speak from personal experience that eating alone for three straight weeks in a foreign country sucks. (Una mesa para uno, por favor. ☝️😢 🤦🏻♂️). And conversely, eating with friends and colleagues, in the exact same environment, has the complete opposite effect (Una mesa para veinte quatro por favor!!! Whooo!! 🙌🙌✋ 🎉🥳)
And I have to think this goes beyond just eating. In my humble opinion, most things are more enjoyable when shared with people. Going for runs - a curious behavior that many of my students seem to repeat on a daily - is much more palatable in a group. My students invited me to go on a run the other day and I accepted. (Now, I did quit halfway and walked to the bakery on the way home… but I did it with four other people, and it was glorious.)
And I’m very thankful that this group of students has picked up on this so quickly. They’ve been very inclusive, making sure all have opportunities to connect. Plus, the majority of these 24 students did not know single person prior to this trip. Now five days later, each of them has made 23 new friends (big flex).
Over the past couple of days, we have shared many things together including meals, sweaty walks around the city (is this just me?), Flamenco shows, and most importantly, a few laughs. It’s the togetherness that makes this class work so well. Sharing experiences, no matter what the context, is what makes us human and brings us together.
Juntos! (It’s not a swear, it means “together”…in Spanish…where we are! Come on guys, grow up.)
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