What is a Meal?

To me, a meal is something you eat to satisfy either genuine hunger or a craving. It can vary in size, but must be larger than a snack, and a meal is not at the same level as a feast. The best meals for me are shared with family and are usually celebrating a cultural event. Those meals are special. However, a more common meal is me, alone, at my desk, headphones on, watching The Good Wife. Does eating alone make it less of a “meal” since I cherish family time so much? I don’t think so because definitions of things and life itself changes and as I grow older a meal begins to mean something much different than it used to. For example, the source of food may change. Does the fact that I now get my food from the Farmer’s Market as opposed to Trader Joe’s change what the meal means? To some, defining a meal will be an easy task, but as I ponder “what is a meal?” I realize it’s a loaded question. Size, source, relationships, and many other factors go into this deceivingly simple question. So, I guess a meal is a lot of things. Whatever it is, though, I just know I’m lucky to have the resources available to me to be able to have to many options as far as answering the question.

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