It is an article of American faith that family meals are important. Social science underscores our secular belief. Children who eat with their families have stronger vocabularies than those who do not. They do better in school. They are less likely to suffer from obesity. Family meals prevent teenage pregnancy. They are a bulwark against depression. Those who eat chicken around a table with kin tend not to sneak off to the park later to huff paint.
But what about the children of double-shift police officers and nurses, of corporate attorneys, night-shift laborers, key grips and regional sales reps, anyone for whom a nightly meal with the family borders on the impossible? What happens to those who simply cannot manage to join the roughly 50 percent of Americans who eat with their families every day? Are they doomed?
What about my kids, so long as we’re asking questions? For the past two years, as the restaurant critic for The New York Times, I have eaten out at restaurants nearly every day and night, mostly with people who are not my children or wife.
To read the full, original article click on this link: The Food Issue: Why Should Families Eat Together? - NYTimes.com
