One Of The Very Nicest Things About Life

The business of counting carbs, cutting calories, and squeezing in time to shop and cook can easily put a damper on one of life’s greatest pleasures—food.

Preparing and enjoying food is traditionally a delight, a source of satisfaction, and an adventure. It brings strangers, friends, and families together, creating intimacy, and helping us bond. It’s in our best interest, then, to meet nutritional needs without sacrificing the joy of eating.

Here are some savory quotes that remind us just how central the relishing and sharing of food is to human experience the world over.

Common Ground

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” ~ Luciano Pavarotti, opera singer

“Food to a large extent is what holds a society together and eating is closely linked to deep spiritual experiences.” ~ Peter Farb, author and anthropologist

“If there is anything we are serious about, it is neither religion nor learning, but food.” ~ Lin Yutang, Chinese writer and inventor

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” ~ Virginia Woolf, author

“A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness.”
~ Elsa Schiaparelli, fashion designer

“Eating is so intimate. It’s very sensual. When you invite someone to sit at your table and you want to cook for them, you’re inviting a person into your life.” ~ Maya Angelou, poet

“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”
~ James Beard, chef and food writer

“It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.” ~ Lewis Grizzard, writer and humorist

“That’s something I’ve noticed about food: whenever there’s a crisis if you can get people to eating normally things get better.” ~ Madeleine L’Engle, author

“So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being.” ~ Franz Kafka, author

“If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him...the people who give you their food give you their heart.” ~ Cesar Chavez, union leader and labor organizer

“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relatives.” ~ Oscar Wilde, author

Photo credit: Timothy Krause