From ancient feasts to modern-day dinner parties, the shared experience of eating with others transcends mere sustenance, weaving threads of connection, culture, and community. In this essay, I delve into the multifaceted benefits of commensality, which is the practice of eating with others, particularly within the context of dining cooperatives like the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association (OSCA). Drawing upon personal experiences, research studies, and case analyses, I explore how communal dining environments impact our well-being, shape social dynamics, influence eating habits, and challenge societal norms surrounding food consumption. Commensality shows up in many practices throughout society. Whether gathered around a campfire, seated at a family dinner table, or sharing a meal in a bustling dining hall, the act of communal eating fosters a sense of belonging and camaraderie. Through shared meals, individuals form social bonds, engage in ethical food practices, and experience greater overall well-being.
Against the backdrop of modern society’s fast-paced lifestyles and increasing social isolation, communal dining environments like OSCA emerge as sanctuaries of togetherness and sustainability. By pooling resources, sharing responsibilities, and collectively preparing meals, members of dining cooperatives not only nourish their bodies but also cultivate a sense of ownership and empowerment over their food choices. OSCA, in particular, serves as a counterpublic, challenging the hegemony of conventional food systems and offering a glimpse into a more equitable, community-driven approach to dining. Furthermore, research demonstrates that there are tangible health benefits of communal eating, from improved mental well-being to healthier eating habits. By providing opportunities for regularized personal relationships and reinforcing cultural norms of communal dining, initiatives like OSCA play a pivotal role in mitigating the adverse effects of solitary eating and fostering a sense of connection in an increasingly fragmented world. In the following sections, I will delve deeper into the myriad of ways in which communal dining environments like OSCA, influence our perceptions of food, and contribute to our overall well-being.
As a member of the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association (OSCA), I have been curious about what benefits eating in an environment like this brings us. Although there is much more to being in OSCA, such as communal living for members who choose to live in a co-op, I will specifically be looking at the aspect of commensality in OSCA. Throughout my life I have had many significant experiences of commensality apart from meals at home with my family, such as eating in school, eating at summer camps, eating in dining halls, and now being part of the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association. I had never thought much of the impact of this on my life, but in retrospect, the I have time spent, and continue to spend, eating with the same group of people every day has facilitated immense connection and joy in my life.
A study on the patterns of commensal eating in society, which looked at the rates at which people eat with others and who they eat with, showed that shared eating satisfies a human need for social interaction. The conviviality of eating with other people establishes and reinforces social ties. This fact demonstrates that being in a communal eating environment is good for forming social bonds. Having commensality be a ritualized event helps build “regularized personal relationships that establish and maintain desired forms of social integration and establish and reinforce common identities.” This study suggests that commensal circles (groups of people who eat together) are reflected in the frequency of the commensal relationship. When you are in an environment like a sleepaway camp, where you eat every meal together every day for an extended period of time, or a member of an organization like OSCA where most people eat together twice a day with the same people for whole semesters of college if not longer, this builds strong commensal relationships.
Commensal relationships have been shown to be incredibly good for one’s health and wellbeing. In a study to test the hypothesis that eating with others provides both social and individual benefits It was found that people who eat socially are more likely to feel better about themselves and to have “a wider social network capable of providing social and emotional support.” Interestingly it was also concluded that eating with someone in the evening makes one feel closer to them than eating with them at midday and that evening meals at which laughter and reminiscences occur and alcohol is drunk are especially likely to enhance feelings of closeness. It can be assumed that the reason for the enhanced sense of bonding and closeness to those you share a meal with at dinnertime is because it is not in the middle of a busy work/school day. In my experience in OSCA, during lunchtime meals many people are quickly in and out, talk to each other less, and less people hang out after meals because people are going back and forth from classes or have work to do. On the other hand, during dinnertime meals, there tends to be more people there, there is more liveliness and discussion, and people tend to stick around longer after the meal, hanging out in the lounge and talking or playing games. This is likely due to there being less classes and work that people need to attend to at the end of the day, and everyone is relaxed and has more time. This study’s guiding question was that, since social meals inevitably take longer, and there is no intrinsic biological reason why we engage in social eating, so why do we do it? They suggested that there are three different levels of potential benefits from communal eating: communal, networking, and personal. These can be identified, respectively, with building wider community and inter-community relationships, making and reinforcing (i.e. servicing) friendship and family relationships, and at the personal level in terms of health benefits. The first two relate to indirect benefits from the formation of mutual alliances at different levels, and the third relates to direct benefits in terms of health benefits that arise from well-formed social relationships.
In a study conducted with a sample of elderly Korean people on the association between eating behavior and diet quality it was found that eating alone had a negative impact on health. Although the study was on a specific ethnic and age group, it can be assumed that it applies to most other people as well. In this study it was noted that society is trending towards solitary eating as it is seen to be more efficient in our fast paced and work focused society. This trend emphasizes the importance of organizations like OSCA, as they break this trend of solitary eating by creating an environment where the main function is to engage in communal dining. Their research also concluded that solitary eating caused dietary problems such as malnutrition. Similarly, a study that compared eating alone and eating with others found that human eating is significantly influenced by situational factors such as watching television, listening to music, or talking with people. This is because engaging in something that diverts your attention away from the food impairs your self-monitoring, and therefore leads to a greater food intake compared to eating with no competing tasks. This study also suggests that social facilitation of food does not occur when we are in the presence of strangers, due to a need to present a positive image while eating. This is likely due to societal stigma around fatness and consumption, as well as need to be seen as “polite”. I would argue that this is not always true, and that it depends on the person and the context. I would also argue that it is not necessarily a need to present a positive image, but it is a shyness and lack of comfort that can lead us to feel less hungry or less comfortable eating. I can recall having my food intake be socially facilitated in the presence of strangers, for example, the first meal at summer camp when most girls in my cabin were strangers, but I still found myself having lots of fun and eating lots of food. Granted, this is a very unique experience, one that I think could be because of the iconic first meal at camp which was always teriyaki chicken, and due to the fact that I most often had close friends present. I have definitely also experienced times where I did not experience my meal being socially facilitated. Moments like this that come to mind were my first few meals at my co-op. I joined a month into the semester, and I only had one close friend who sometimes wasn’t at meals, and so until I began to get to know people, I definitely felt a lack of confidence and comfortability in sitting down and eating lots of food.
In the study on patterns of commensal eating, there are two perspectives on commensal eating noted. One is the cultural values perspective, and the other is structural individualism. Cultural values reflect the significance of cultural norms and traditions in shaping commensal eating habits, and it highlights the societal expectation of communal meals. Structural individualism reflects that there are broader societal factors such as social isolation and the fast pace of modern life, which may hinder communal eating practices. It suggests that in contemporary post-industrial societies, individuals may experience a sense of rootlessness and alienation, leading to a decline in traditional communal dining. The existence of the structural individualism aspect of commensal eating is why the existence of dining co-ops and other commensal eating environments are so significant. These systems break the structure of our everyday lives, and bring us into an environment where we have a determined time and place to eat and a group to do so with.
In September 2023 I was feeling dissatisfied with my social life and wanted a change. My friend was in a co-op, and she convinced me to join, and this opened up a whole new world for me. Having set meal times every day with the same group of people allows you to get to know each other and connect with one another, and automatically gives you a community of people. You are not necessarily friends, but when you sit with someone at a meal every day after a while you’ll start to greet each other when you run into each other on campus, or you’d likely sit next to a fellow co-oper if you saw them in a class or a meeting. And, after only eight months of being in a co-op I can definitely say that a large majority of the people I dine with I’ve formed a social connection, my network of people is much more expansive, and my overall wellbeing is assuredly improved through the feeling. OSCA has definitely granted me the the different levels of benefits cited in the Dunbar study on the hypothesis that eating with others provides both social and individual benefits. To reiterate, these benefits are communal, networking, and personal. Being part of OSCA has afforded me a strong sense of community, I have greatly expanded my network of people, and I have personally grown in many ways.
OSCA is definitely a counterpublic. It is a space that is inherently against the way our modern food systems work, within the Oberlin College dining services and within the broader world. Normally, one purchases individual meals, made by someone else, or buys individual ingredients from a grocery store and cooks for themselves. In OSCA, everyone pays a fee for dining (and housing if they choose to live in the co-op as well), and then we share all the food that we get. No one has to pay more if they eat more food, no one has to spend anything on an individual meal. OSCA was founded by students who were dissatisfied with the college’s food systems and wanted a change. Although now the college’s food system is hopefully better than it was when OSCA started, OSCA still thrives on attracting people who want to live in a counter public community to our usual food systems and to the college.
Myself cooking a fun Saint Patrick’s Day-themed meal fellow co-op members
The ongoing tensions between OSCA and the college has created more of an ideological separation but has also instilled a further sense of counterpublicity into OSCA. OSCA is also a unique example of communal eating. At recess or lunch at camp you pack your own food from home, and some people get the hot lunch or the pre-packed lunch service, and at sleepaway camp we all eat the same meal. The food is all prepared by someone else, and when it was prepared by you it was an individual act. In OSCA all the food we eat was made by someone in the co-op. We don’t have professional chefs, we never buy pre-made meals or food items, only ingredients. All of our food comes from local farms and other local distributors. All of these facts that are inherent within our food give us a deeper appreciation for it.
OSCA has made me think a lot more about what is “good” and “bad” food. And it has lowered my standards for food immensely. This sounds bad, but what I mean is that eating simple nourishing food cooked by students. It has made me realize that what I was considering “good” food was not necessarily something I needed in my life, and that so much food I had considered “bad” in terms of quality or taste began to seem more appealing and I had more of an appreciation for it. It has also made me think about healthy eating in our emphasis on including the three main food groups in every meal. Communal eating, and this added aspect of communal food preparation, has greatly improved my overall wellbeing and my relationship with food.
The communal act of dining together holds profound significance beyond mere sustenance. Participating in communal eating environments, exemplified by initiatives like the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association (OSCA), offers a plethora of benefits ranging from fostering social connection and mental well-being to promoting healthier eating habits and challenging societal norms. Through shared meals, individuals form bonds, share experiences, and establish a sense of community that transcends mere acquaintance. OSCA, as a counterpublic, serves as a beacon of alternative dining experiences, challenging conventional food systems and fostering a deeper appreciation for simplicity, sustainability, and collective ownership. Furthermore, research highlights the tangible health benefits of communal dining, underscoring the importance of initiatives like OSCA in combating the trend towards solitary eating and its associated health risks. By providing a space for regularized personal relationships and reinforcing cultural values of communal dining, OSCA and similar initiatives play a vital role in addressing societal challenges such as social isolation and the fast pace of modern life.
In essence, communal eating environments offer more than just nourishment; they serve as catalysts for social cohesion, ethical food practices, and overall well-being. As we navigate the complexities of contemporary society, initiatives like OSCA remind us of the enduring importance of communal rituals and the transformative power of shared meals in shaping healthier, more connected communities.
References
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Chae, Wonjeong, et al. “Association between eating behaviour and diet quality: eating alone vs. eating with others.” Nutrition Journal 17 (2018): 1-11.
Dunbar, R.I.M. “Breaking Bread: the Functions of Social Eating.” Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology 3 (2017): 198–211. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40750-017-0061-4.
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Hetherington, Marion M., et al. “Situational effects on meal intake: A comparison of eating alone and eating with others.” Physiology & Behavior 88, no. 4-5 (2006): 498-505.
Sobal, Jeffery, and Mary K. Nelson. “Commensal eating patterns: a community study.” Appetite 41, no. 2 (2003): 181-190. Accessed January 1, 2022. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666303000783.
