Eating and drinking are essential to survival, but most people experience a great deal more when they partake in a meal. Food and beverages touch on all of the senses. Keep these four reasons in mind when thinking about why people love to eat and drink.
Cook as a Way to Express Affection
Many people see cooking as a way of expressing affection. When a person is in bereavement, has a baby or another special event, it is often the case that friends and family bring food to that person. In a family, making a food that another member of the family enjoys is often seen as a direct expression of love. Accepting the food or drink is akin to accepting the affections of the person who made it.
Experience Food as a Social Event
In most cultures, eating and drinking are social activities. Going to a restaurant or bar is often more fun for the social aspects than the actual food. Food is also an essential part of social celebrations. The birthday and wedding cakes, toasting a newly married couple or celebrating Thanksgiving around a table laden with food is an essential part of the human experience.
Enjoy a Glass of Wine
Certain foods and drinks have a broad sense of appeal. Some companies, like JJ Buckley Fine Wines, know that the complex flavors of wine tantalize the taste buds. Swirling it to release its aromatic compounds before drinking bolsters the experience. The pairing of the right wine with the right food amplifies the pleasure that a person experiences while enjoying it.
Tastes and Textures of Foods and Drinks
Eating and drinking is a multi-sensory experience. Once a person smells the food, his or her salivary glands are already preparing to taste and digest the food. The sight of how the food is arranged and what it looks like appeals to the brain’s visual processing. Experiencing the texture of the food on the tongue activates additional parts of the brain. The actual taste of the food sends signals to other parts of the brain. All of this comes together in an experience that is pleasurable, making you want to keep eating and drinking until satiated.
Eating and drinking is much more than chewing and swallowing. It is often a social and emotional experience. The pleasurable sights, textures, smells and tastes of food and beverages activates the reward centers of the brain, making you want to eat and drink until you’re content.
