Our dinner tables, a reflection of our times

What we have on our dinner table is a reflection of us, and - at large - a reflection of the society and current times. More so, it’s tied closely to women’s role in the society. Just looking at the last century in America, women’s life centered around their kitchen until about the 1940s. But, as men left their homes to fight during WWII, women started stepping in for men in factories to support the ongoing war - and to provide for their children. Next came the women’s movement in the 1960s that further propelled women into the workforce.

However, as women moved from factories to board rooms - and everything in between - the question “What’s for dinner?” remained a constant.

Women (rightly so) spending less time in their kitchens inadvertently invited more canned foods in American pantries, and, thus, paving the way for frozen dinners and meal subscriptions. With demand came technical advances that commercialized refrigeration and microwaving. With women spending more time away from home, men started stepping into the kitchen - and cooking become a family activity.

As American families were evolving, so was the 9am-5pm work culture. Globalization and increased competition called for increased work hours, and technological advances made this possible by creating a mobile workspace - only further dismantling the 9am-5pm work culture. In the midst of this, the question “What’s for dinner?” remained a constant. Making our home life often feeling out of balance.

While some have mastered meal prep or found their perfect meal subscription kit, for many it’s a ritual to pull out their phones as they are leaving work and text their partners “What do you want for dinner?” with only to receive a text asking “Well, what do you want for dinner?”. For many the ritual is to scroll through their Grubhub and UberEats as they leave work. And I am sure we have all occasionally stared blankly inside the fridge trying to figure out dinner. I wonder when exactly in the last century did dinner become an afterthought. Our office desks will evolve but our dinner table is a constant, and so is the importance of a wholesome meal.

I am not questioning women’s equal participation in the workforce nor the technological advances. This is progress, our progress as a society.

However, I am contemplating our relationship with dinner (well, food), and if lack of a balanced meal does, at large, contribute to an imbalanced society. And that what will be our mark on the evolving food culture.

What do our dinner tables say about our times?