The Sweet taste of Company

Have you ever wondered why restaurants have chairs facing each other rather than facing an inanimate object such as a wall??

For the first decade and half of my life, I never had to eat alone.While I always had my family for company for the first and last meals of the day, the mid-day meal was eaten in the company of my friends. My friends and I sat around in a circle, eating off each others lunch hampers. We passed the little tiffin boxes around and took a mouthful of each persons meal. We relished each others meals and stopped chewing only to complement each others mom for the food that they had whipped up for us. It was not only our mother, but also the mothers of all our friends who contributed to our well being.

The scenario at home was not very different from what it was in school. Every evening my family gathered around our old, yet sturdy dining table. The food was arranged at the centre of the table. My grandfather sat at the head of the table, while the rest of us just sat wherever we pleased. As we ate we would brief each other on the days happenings.

My dining situation during lunch completely changed the day I joined college. Most students were hostelites and took their meals in the college mess. I being a day scholar had the option of eating packed food or heading to a canteen that was situated about half a kilometer away from my class. I opted for the former and realized that most of my classmates who bought packed lunch, consumed it in class sitting among their friends. I, on the other hand had to sit alone as I was the lone She-wolf in the pack.  Once in a while when I felt extremely lonely I would saunter around the campus and chit chat with some juniors, green with envy as they dined with their friends. I spent the lunch hour, every day for three years in this fashion.

The food I consumed was the same that my mom had prepared prior to me joining college. She put in the same effort, yet the food did not taste as good as it had once upon a time. Food is generally enjoyed and appreciated better when you have company. I slowly developed an intense dislike for eating alone, until a batch-mate of mine threw the unwritten protocol to the winds and offered me a Sub from Subway. Until then I never liked subs, yet the sub he offered tasted great. This was not because of the sub, but because of the effort he put into getting me the sub. The fact that he sat across the table from me and shared a meal with me just made the sub all the more special. Soon my other batch-mates also started talking to me. I do not know whether it was because he broke the ice or whether they had changed overnight, but this welcome change made me enjoy the food I consumed much more. Food by itself is an object that provides you nourishment. You can feel full if you eat alone, but you will be satisfied only if you have company.

The only thing much more satisfying than a palette filled with food.... Is a roomfull of company....

Note : To the person who offered me the Sub and broke the glass wall, I do not know if you remember this. I am truly grateful to you for being the harbinger of change. Hats off to you.