This has been bothering me

(Disclaimer: these are my thoughts. I have A LOT of time to think on runs, and my mind wanders. Today, this is where it went.)

Why is it, in our culture, that we celebrate things with food?

You got a promotion at work? Let me take you to dinner to celebrate!

It’s your birthday? Let’s have dinner and drinks!!

Getting married? Let’s eat cake!

Haven’t seen you for a long time? lunch date it is!

Its ____________ Holiday? Let’s have all these crazy foods that we can only have this one time of year so that puts special meaning on them and subsequently we want them even more and covet them, overeating them.

And the opposite is true too, when bad things happen, we eat then too. For example:

Most funeral services have a meal after them. People bring you food when someone dies. Its just the way it is.

You’ve had some sort of tragedy in your life? Let me buy you dinner and we can talk it out.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I engage in this all the time. However, I just have to wonder if its part of what has led to this nation’s obesity epidemic. It certainly can’t help.

Just my thoughts.