For the average American family， who now spends nearly as much money on fast food as they do on groceries， this simplicity is not so easily achieved. Perhaps the root of this problem is cultural misperception.
In America， it seems snobbish to take time to eat good food with one’s family. The 5）Norman Rockwell portrait of the family around the dinner table now seems less middle-class and more 6）haute bourgeois， as many families can’t afford to have one parent stay home from work， spending his or her day cleaning and cooking a roast and side of potatoes for the spouse and kids. Most parents don’t have time to cook， many don’t even know how， and the idea that one should spend extra money and time picking up produce at the supermarket rather than grabbing a bucket of Chinese take-out can seem unfeasible， unnecessary， and slightly 7）pretentious. It’s understandable to want to save time and money. It’s the same reason that small shops go out of business once Walmart moves into town； but in this case it is not the shop owner who suffers， it is the consumer of unhealthy and rushed meals.
How then do we eat better， not just from a nutritional perspective， but from a psychological one as well？
“To eat is a necessity， but to eat intelligently is an art，” said the 17th-century writer 8）Fran？ois de La Rochefoucauld. What “intelligence”means in the context of eating is debatable.
Perhaps to “eat intelligently，” one needs only to eat together. Although it would be nice to eat healthily as well， even take-out makes for a decent enough meal， psychologically speaking， so long as your family， roommates， or friends are present.
It’s incredible what we’re willing to make time for if we’re motivated.（Although we often end up just a bit too squeezed to make it to the gym in the morning， we can still find time to go to the movies after work.） Perhaps， if we see eating together not as another appointment on a busy schedule， but rather as an opportunity to de-stress， a chance to catch up with those whom we love， then we could help our children do better in school， get in better shape， and be less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. Eating together also led children to report better relationships with their parents and surely relationships between adults can similarly benefit.
On our last night before I left home to return to school， my father and I went out to our favorite hometown restaurant， a Sichuan place where we always order the same thing： Yu Xiang Qiezi for me， Black Date Chicken for him. But even after 60 years of life on this planet， and countless dinners here， he still could not properly hold a pair of chopsticks. “Let me help，”I said， and after a little resistance， he obliged me. “See， you have to hold this one perfectly still，” I said， motioning to the chopstick in my left hand， “while you move this one to pick up your food.” The waiter came with another bowl of rice on which he would try. He nodded. “I think I’ve got it，” he said， delicately holding the chopsticks between his fingers. “The chopsticks each have an individual role， but in order not to drop your food， they have to work together. Right？” I smiled.“Exactly.”