Meal Patterns and Eating Together

1. Meal Patterns and Eating Together HFA 4U/C

2. Our Habits • Humans are the only living beings that sit down and face one another to eat and interact as they do. • Other animals only stare at their food when they eat, think of your pet dog or cat. • Humans want to eat in the company of other people hence the meaning of the term company= with bread

3. Meals and Snacks • Meals are structured events, organized by rules, and prescribed times, places, and sequences of actions with a variety of types of foods. • Snacks are often unstructured and involve one or more self contained food items without rules, timing and sequences of actions. • Some foods are accepted as part of complete meals while others are not. • Most meals follow a mathematical formula A + 2B = Meal • A = A meat or main course item • B = a minor course or side dish such as vegetables • Another acceptable equation for meals is S + C + T = Meal • S = STAPLE FOOD IE. POTATO, BREAD OR STARTCH • C = CENTREPIECE IE. MEAT, FISH, EGGS, PROTEINS • T = TRIMMINGS IE. VEGETABLES ETC.

4. Meal Structure • The structure of meals that focus on plants instead of animals can also be described using three components: core foods, flavourful fringe foods, and legumes or other proteins.

5. Eating is more than Feeding • It is the commitment to spend time with our food and with each other • Several academic reports state that there is a difference between formal eating and feeding. • Children who eat meals with their families four days a week are less likely to develop poor eating habits and exhibit further abilities in their academics and decision making as well.

6. Convenience Foods & Family Eating • Six Stages of Convenience • Stage 1 – Planning: do you need a recipe? do you have the right cooking equipment? Do you have the skills and ingredients needed? • Stage 2 – Purchasing: arrange to get to the store, where are the items,? Can you carry everything? What are the choices in terms of foods, brands, local or imported etc? • Stage 3 – Storing/handling: how will you store ingredients until they are used? How long do they last? • Stage 4 – Preparation/cooking: How much time will it take to prepare? Do you have the instructions? If you are using ready to eat foods how long must they defrost? Does it need to be heated? How? • Stage 5 – Eating: Does everyone who is eating like the food? Does it have nutritional value? What additives are in the food? Can everyone eat it without adverse reactions? • Stage 6 – Disposal: How much waste is there? Can you store any as left overs? How will you wash the dishes?

7. Eating Etiquette • The word etiquette has French origins and means a list of ceremonial observances of court – eventually this term would come to stand for proper manners and behaviours.

8. Good Manners and Dining Out • Job opportunities have been lost and relationships have suffered when table manners are poor.

9. The Art of Eating with One’s Hands • Although a number of cultures do not normally use utensils to eat with and have developed strict rules for eating with one’s hands. • “Eating with ones hands evokes great emotion…” • “Using a fork is unthinkable in traditional Indian eating. It is almost like a weapon” • Etiquette is important in communities that eat with their hands and public hand washing is usually required. • In Muslim communities, a prayer follows the public hand washing and then one can reach usually with the right hand to eat or drink. • Eating with your hands has rules as well, you eat with one hand, use the thumb and index and middle finger and let only the first two joints of the fingers touch the food. • Often rice or flatbreads such as roti, naan, injera, or pita is used to assist in carrying food to the mouth.

10. Formal Dining • In a restaurant: • Arrive on time (greet the host) • Introduce people if you are the host, address the senior or most prestigious person first. • Be seated keep bags, purses, sunglasses off the table • Mute or turn off your cellphone • Place your hands in your lap not on the table • Wait for all parties to arrive before ordering or starting your meal • When in doubt follow the lead of the host • Choose menu items you are confident you can eat properly • Do not choose the most expensive item on the menu • Do not begin eating until everyone has their food

11. Table Etiquette While Eating • Bread: if rolls are bread are served take one and pass the basket to the right • Place the roll on the bread plate to the left of your table setting • When the butter is passed you take a pat of butter and put it on your bread plate, it is customary and polite to tear off small portions of bread and butter them from your pat individually prior to eating. • When cutting food the fork is in the left hand and the knife is in the right hand, use the fork to keep the food steady, ensure you are keeping your elbows down. • After cutting your food you may keep the knife in your right hand an use your left hand to bring food to your mouth (not your mouth to the food) this method is known as Continental table manners, or you may place the knife down and use your right hand to bring the food to your mouth this second method is known as American table manners.

12. Table Etiquette Continued • When you are done with your meal leave your cutlery side by side face up in the middle of the plate. • If you must leave the table in the middle of eating place your knife in the clock position of ten to four place your fork across it to make an X.

13. Special Needs • Let restaurants or hosts know if you have special food needs such as an allergy, needing food precut, or need room for a wheel chair or high chair.

14. Formal Place Setting • The rules for setting a table depend on the menu and the specific knives, forks and spoons that may be required. • Restaurants may also have their own traditions. • General Rules: • Cutlery should be 2 cm from the edges of the plate or placemat and the knife blades should be turned toward the plate. • The napkin should be placed to the left of the plate and cutlery in formal places will not be wrapped in it. • The bread and butter plate should sit to the left above the fork • Water/Wine glass should sit to the right above the knife **when sitting down to eat, always work from the outside in, that is, use the cutlery from the farthest from the plate first.***

15. Typical Formal Place Setting