I Hate Poetry
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Think of your favorite food. Maybe it’s a perfectly grilled steak, seasoned to perfection and bursting with flavor. Or perhaps it’s pizza, straight out of the oven, covered with tart tomato sauce, melted mozzarella, and a variety of bright and flavorful toppings.
Food is good. It’s one of the more simple, yet delightful, pleasures in life. Yet there is something better than food on its own: a meal. A whole spread of delicious and nourishing foods at a table surrounded by family and friends. It could be just you and your spouse, or maybe it’s Christmas dinner, including parents, siblings, and those cousins you rarely see. Whoever might be there and whatever food is being served, a meal is a gathering, with food at its center.
Leon R. Kass, M.D., in his book The Hungry Soul, reflects on many aspects of the human act of eating. More specifically, he regards eating – and the formality and manners associated with eating – as a means of understanding human nature. Kass emphasizes man as an “upright animal,” one who is capable of standing up and facing the world around him. Man is capable of approaching another human being and extending his hand in greeting; he is capable of embracing another human being, drawing their hearts together in an act of friendship and love. Because of his “uprightness,” man naturally acts differently than other animals, particularly in the common animal act of eating.
One of the strangest differences in the way man eats is his use of a table. Kass remarks that being at table means that a man has removed himself from his daily business to focus on a meal. “At table,” he continues, “we all face not our food but one another.”
Eating at a table thus implies eating with other human beings. Unlike animals, however, humans focus on each other while dining together, not merely on the food at hand. There is a community that develops around the dinner table, developed through conversation and the common goal that is nourishment. Around the table, a company is formed. Kass notes the etymology of this word, company, from the Latin com- (“together”) and panis (“bread”). Thus a companionship is formed in the sharing of bread, the foundational substance of human sustenance.
The sharing of food has always had a strong significance among human beings, including our forefathers in Faith in the Old Testament. The Old Testament is filled with examples of the profound significance of a shared meal. One of the most striking examples is that of the todah sacrifice. The todah was a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and unlike many other Mosaic sacrifices, could be offered at any time of the year. Components of this sacrifice included bread, wine, a lamb, and the todah feast.
To give an example of the significance of the todah offering, consider Psalm 22, recognizable from its first line, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” This is one of many todah psalms in the Old Testament. Each psalm follows the same pattern: the person praying laments his sorrowful state; he then calls upon God to save him; there is a transition as he remembers God’s goodness to him in the past; he rejoices in hope of God’s salvation, and promises a todah feast in gratitude. Psalm 22 follows this pattern (though the distinct outline may not be perfectly clear). Lines 25-26 promise a todah sacrifice and feast: “From Thee comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear Him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him shall praise the Lord!”
Thus, in the Old Testament when one offered this sacrifice of thanksgiving to God for being brought out of sorrow or tribulation, one immediately offered food (bread and wine) to God, then went to prepare a feast with one’s family and friends. This brings to mind Christ’s parable of the lost coin, in which the woman finds her missing coin and calls her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her (Luke 15:8-10). We desire to share even the smallest moments of joy with the community around us.
Old Testament sacrifices are not the only instances of food bringing people together. For centuries, the daily meal has been what brings together family, friends, and neighbors. It is the place to fulfill not only the natural need for food but also the rational desire for companionship. Families gather for supper and discuss daily activities, school, work, and share stories. Friends meet for lunch to catch up or share news. Couples dine together to spend time with one another and learn more about each other.
Food also brings us together both in times of joy and in times of grief. When spouses celebrate an anniversary, they find a special restaurant or cook a fancy meal. When a birthday is celebrated, one often chooses a favorite meal or is surprised by a delightful cake. In times of sorrow, such as an unexpected loss or illness, we offer to cook a meal or provide assistance with food for the family member or friend in need.
The unique human act of eating at table gives us an insight into our nature. We are “upright animals,” as Kass remarks, able to perceive and interact with the world in a distinct way. As “upright animals,” we eat in a way different from other animals. We sit at a table, surrounded by those close to us, and focus not on the food at hand, but on the people dining with us. The table is transformed into a place of nourishment for not only the body, but also for the soul, as conversation and personal interaction feeds our rational desire for human companionship. The table may also become a place of religious significance, as demonstrated in the Old Testament todah sacrifice and feast of thanksgiving. This practice is continued in our Catholic celebration of the Eucharist (from the Greek word for “thanksgiving”), in which we eat the bread transformed into Christ’s Body and Blood, a new and eternal sacrifice of thanksgiving for God’s salvation.
Every table is a company, a community formed around our basic human need for “our daily bread,” whether the family supper table or the high altar at Mass. Our gathering together at meals is a little taste of the heavenly banquet we are all called to participate in. Someday, Lord willing, we will find ourselves at the heavenly table, surrounded by friends and family, with Our Eternal Father at the head.
"Whatever you brought here tonight,
We will feast and find the light;
Drink in every cup of joy and grief.
Only God knows why we all
Stumbled in this dining hall,
Searching for the food that we all need.
Let us gather round the table:
'Come and eat.'"
("Welcome," The Arcadian Wild)
Citations from The Hungry Soul: Eating and the Perfecting of Our Nature, by Leon R. Kass, M.D. (highly recommend for more insight on this topic)
And The Bible: Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition
Hannah is a Catholic student pursuing a degree in Classical and Early Christian Studies. Her particular areas of research and interest are Greco-Latin language and culture, Hiberno-Latin, Irish hagiography, and Medieval History. She has been published in the St. Austin Review (StAR) and has also had an essay published in the recent book, "The Latin Mass and the Youth," edited by Reyers Brusoe. Hannah also formerly wrote for and edited the newsletter for her high school Students for Life group. She currently runs a Substack called "Pulchrum Antiquum," on her manuscript work as well as various topics on language and Catholicism. https://pulchrumantiquum.substack.com/
