Round table discussions

She says:

With the volume of news this past week on not only the international state of affairs but also our own country, it seemed a bit odd to me to discuss the simple issue of food. Something that occurred to me was that I have been reading a great book lately that tells the story of a family that spent a year trying to be self-sufficient with their food and I wanted to write about that, but this seems more pressing. This is however, a connection. The simple concept of sitting around a table and sharing news is something that we do at dinner time perhaps if there was a bit more of this happening in political circles (everyone around the table, that is – not just some of the people) then things wouldn’t get to the point where backroom deals are made and people find themselves at opposite ends of the spectrum.

You may think I am trying to oversimplify the issue at hand, but there is actual scientific data to show that relationships benefit in a concrete manner from the quality time spent around a dinner table on a regular basis. Adolescents who have this experience score better in test results than those who do not. They also have less of a tendency for depression and more of a tendency for healthy living (healthy weight, regular exercise). In an age when everything moves at mach speed I know the idea of sitting down to dinner nightly can seem daunting but we need to make the time for this to be a priority. It could very well save our families.

And just think… maybe if we could get some round tables in the cafeteria at the Houses of Parliament and make everyone there sit down to eat at the same time, they might talk out their differences by the time they got to dessert and then they could spend the time in the House actually improving things!

He says:

To put my feelings in food words, this week to me was an all around cream pie-in-the face kind of week. People from both sides trying to cover their own bums creating a power struggle that will ultimately make low income families of Canada pay the price of not having a government making big decisions right before Christmas. I am not proud to be from Quebec today, please tell your kids that not all people in Quebec think like that.

Please don’t wait until the last minute to give a little to the local food banks near you, they need your help. Forget about our top level people of our country and take matters in your own hands - give a can or two of food for other families who desperately need a break.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.