Chicken Fingers For The Soul: Conclusions

Bottom Line

Food is personal. People will always find time to celebrate life with a shared meal. We can't live without food, but we also wouldn't want to. We eat when we're hungry, we eat when we're sad, and we eat when we're nervous. We clean, cut, sprinkle, shave, grate, stir, sautée, and bake our way to melt-in-your-mouth perfection. We say "Let's split it," when we really want dessert but don't want to eat it alone. We watch the bride and groom feed each other cake, and we bring brownies over to the new neighbors. Through all of life's little and big moments, we have each other and we have food.

Food is, at its core, a basic means of survival. Just as species evolve and adapt to become stronger and smarter, people have created social customs around food to keep our bellies full and our families together. Oftentimes, the literature of food as portrayed by various forms of advertising and media can exploit what we hold so dear, whispering negative nothings into our ears, and encouraging us to have a conditional relationship with the very matter that sustains our lives.

What's important to remember is that we have to eat to live, no matter what. If we overthink it, we can easily become overwhelmed. We can obsess about what to put in our bodies and when, how to eat, how much to eat, where to eat it, and with whom to eat it. For as much as the literature of food can be controversial, it can be enlightening. Let's remember why we eat in the first place—let's appreciate the history, the customs, and the togetherness that food brings to us—and listen to what's good for our own bodies. In doing so, we nourish our bodies and our souls.

And if advertisements won't stop trying to shame us, let's not shame ourselves. We all eat, so let's enjoy! Most of all, let's remember to take whatever literature of food we encounter with a grain of salt (and a pinch of pepper).