“Meals are extremely significant moments in forming a family’s values.”
CADI: As a specialist in the art of eating, you supervised Morgane BILY’s project. In one of your books you depicted the dining table as a “symbolic place for exchange,” and a “metaphor for communication.” Could you tell us more about the link between semiotics and eating habits?
J.J.B: The table creates a unity between time, place and action. Which places are the most meaningful in your everyday life and in your personal history? Of course the family home, the place where you were raised. And within this place, all attention is gathered in one particular spot: the dining table. When your mom shouted “dinner is ready!” you knew it was time for the inescapable ritual. You are obliged – whether you like it or not – to sit at the table at regular hours. This leads to an in camera situation. Once settled at the table, you have to remain seated until the meal is over.
But today these deeply ingrained codes are being questioned. The term “deconstruction” of the table has even been suggested. But the imaginary world surrounding the gathering of friends or family around the table still prevails. A large number of signs are drawn together around the table, conveyed by food and the symbolic value attached to it. What we eat is no less than a sign we ingest, which is pretty rare. Speaking of sign density, taste-related signs are only second to love-related signs in terms of physical contact. The fact that we ingest them is far from being neutral and contributes to shaping our identity.
The lay-out of the table is also quite significant. The way guests are positioned and the seats to which they are assigned are laden with symbolical meaning. This positioning gives rise to some sort of hierarchy (corner of the table, center of the table, head of the table etc.) and a sense of proximity – you get used to sitting next to such or such a person. A child wishes to be seated next to his/her father, or his/her mother,or his/her elder brother or sister. On the contrary he/she may also try to sit as far apart from them as possible. Note that there is a specific discourse fit for dining table conversations, a whole set of topics you can hear or say when talking over dinner. I am 53 years old and I belong to a generation that was still expected to be quiet during meals. Quite often my parents were the only ones allowed to talk. At family gatherings, you could feel the frustration (mixed with contentment) experienced by those sitting at the head of the table. I’ve also taken part in many family meals in which men and women sat on opposite sides of the table. Though these kind of customs are becoming increasingly rare, they are still practiced in some parts of the world and in some cultures. In some family meals, alcohol eases communication. Daily meals also unfold at an almost constant pace, which you either love or hate. Teenagers, for instance, find it hard to sit at the table and put up with their parents for a whole meal.
CADI: You once wrote: “Beyond the physiological need to eat, human beings have cultivated a need which is no less vital: the need to eat together” Could you further explain what makes meal-sharing essential to keeping social bonds alive?
J.J.B: Here, you are referring to what we call “commensality,” the act of eating together at the same table. This rather scholarly term is not to be confused with conviviality. Conviviality refers to spending a pleasant time together whereas commensality merely expresses the idea of sharing the same table without necessarily the idea of enjoyment. Commensality can be painful, restrictive or even speechless. In such cases guests usually seek “sociofugal” solutions to avoid being around others or annoying them and to pretend not to hear what they are saying.
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