Mealtimes afford us an opportunity to connect.
Few would argue that there is much more to mealtime than the food that's dished out.
Sitting down to a meal together allows folks to share time, tell stories, create memories and engage in the occasional argument. Whether we're eating with family, friends, neighbors, classmates, colleagues, or teammates -- and whether it's sitting around someone's kitchen table, a picnic table, or elsewhere -- mealtimes afford us an opportunity to connect.
According to mentalhealth.org.uk, "There are many psychological, social and biological benefits of eating meals with other people. Sharing mealtimes is good for your mental health. Whether it be through sharing experiences with family and friends, winding down with company, bonding with family members or just having someone to talk to, mealtimes provide a great opportunity for us to set aside a specific time of the day or week to give us time to socialize, relax and improve our mental health."
And, many traditions are made at dining tables.
Here's a mealtime tradition from my family.
Sunday was never a "big meal" day in my home because professional football was on TV and my mother was -- and, continues to be -- a diehard Eagles fan. So, the meal was sidelined, if you will. Ba-dump-bump.
Our special family meal was Saturday lunch. Each Saturday, without fail, we would sit down to a lunch of homemade soup and what we called "lunch meats" but what others know better as "cold cuts."
My particular favorite 'lunch meat' was and still is liverwurst. That's okay, more for me. There were two things that were an absolute must; things would come to a screeching halt without them. The first was a jar of Warsaw Falcon pickles on the table. No other brand. That one.
The second was the polka music playing from the radio on the kitchen counter. It was a boxy transistor radio with a fabric-covered speaker. My brother has it in his basement today, and I swear, if you turn it on to any channel on the dial, polka music will issue from it.
Here's a gallery of folks in New Jersey enjoying a meal. Enable captions to read about the who's, where's and when's.