What it means to "eat on the edge"

            In Horwitz’s article, she talks about the idea of “eating on the edge” and how society has transformed into a society that is always on the go and moving. Horwitz talks about in her article, a student that is eating a sandwich in one of his lectures. This action made him think about this transformation in society from a culture where we value sitting around the table, to a culture where we prefer our meals on the go. Originally, in our culture, we valued sitting together at a table, which can be seen in Horwitz’s article about how the astronaut tables were designed so that all of the crew can sit together at one table (Horwitz 44). The tables were made to be a "three-sided table" so that there would be no sense of dominance at the table (Horwitz 44). Of course, our culture has changed because in the astronaut example, some of them asked for meals in their own quarters. Horwitz explains that "the only feature the astronauts rejected, over time, was the face-to-face dining" (Horwitz 44). This shows that there is that new idea of "eating on the edge" which does not appreciate the family values as much. The American culture is very much a culture where we prefer things to be on the go and by ourselves.

            I know that in my family we definitely have some of the cultural “eating on the edge” that Horwitz talks about, but I would also say that we have kept our meals to sitting around the table. In my family, food is one of the most important things we make and prepare. Each and every meal we make is usually prepared by us at home. The process takes a long time to make, and when we are done making it, we have two options in front of us, eat at the table, or sit in front of the TV. I would say we usually split the difference between the two. When one of our favorite shows is on, we usually sit in front of the TV and eat. When nothing good is on, we will eat around the table and talk about our day and how we are. This whole idea of “eating on the edge” is true, from what I can tell, but I like to think that my family has not completely formed to that cultural identity.