fast and easy

If I could convince people of something I would like to convince them that food isn’t just about refueling your body. I would like to convince them of the statistics: Kids (especially girls) who eat regular family meals are less likely to suffer from body image issues and eating disorders; less likely to fall prey to substance abuse and less likely to suffer from emotional illnesses such as depression. Fewer than one third of American families eat meals together regularly.

Yes, food is about powering the body. But meals can be about empowering your spirit.

I would like to convince people that sharing a meal is sharing yourself, and taking in what others share of themselves while you take in the food your body needs.

I was thinking about this late last night while watching a Seinfeld re-run. Kenny Bania and Jerry were arguing over whether soup at Mendy’s counts as the meal Jerry promised as payment for an Armani suit. Though I’ve seen this a hundred times, it still makes me laugh. And late last night it hit me with something that seemed so obvious I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it before … Kenny wants the conversation, the company, not so much the food.

So I share tonight’s strategy for gathering our family for conversation. Of course we’re off to karate, so dinner will come after and the strategy is this: Keep it Simple.

My friend Sylvia has a daughter in high school and another in middle school. Both are involved in music and sports. Sylvia works part-time and her husband’s job requires some nights and weekends. This family, like so many, is on the run. “I know I thought for a long time that to bring my family together for a meal I had to spend several hours preparing it,” she once told me. “That it had to look like something my mom made back in the ’60s. It really doesn’t have to be that way.”

Nope. Tonight at our house it will be Tony’s Pizza Rolls and a salad. Cheap. Easy. No arguments from the 5-year-old (or anybody else!). And when they aren’t arguing about vegetables they’re sharing their story of the day.