It’s not just a feast for the eyes: According to experts, a mindful approach to nutrition, food, and eating is more than just a culinary delight. “Cooking, restaurants, and eating and drinking together still play an important social and societal role,” said Dresden professor Andreas Rutz to the German Press Agency. This begins in the private sphere and continues in public life.
“When pubs and restaurants disappear, we lose something. The same applies to lifestyle habits. We’ve grown accustomed to a fast-food culture, a ‘to-go’ culture. Both at work and within the family, time management has reached a point where it’s no longer possible to eat all meals together or to prepare them ourselves. Yet that would be a good starting point for change: cooking and eating together,” the historian emphasized.
Rutz admitted that even he cannot always live up to this ideal in everyday life. “My eating habits vary widely and—as is typical of our times—depend on my needs. I’m the kind of person who sometimes grabs a takeout meal and, on a busy workday, wolfs down this and that. That’s almost impossible to avoid in today’s work life. You can’t always cook for yourself.” Nevertheless, he advised cooking as much as possible yourself and being open to trying new things.
