Part 1Food has many meanings for us ,but when a group

Part 1
Food has many meanings for us ,but when a group of people gather together the process of eating is always more about power than about nourishment.When we lived in tribes everyone may have crowded round the carcass, but you can be sure that it was the warrior man who ate first and took the best bits and that the women and children were served last and got leftovers.When tables and chairs first came into use,only those with power sat at the table,and then in a strict order of importance,with a bowl of salt showing who was top dpg.The bowl of salt might have disappeared,but the seating order still exists.
Part 2
It has never been the tradition in Britain for children to be brought up close to their parents.If children had not been sent away to school or to work they ate in the kitchen or in the nursery.In Victorian times family meals were held on special occasions,but these again were occasions where power and importance were demonstrated.The father took precedence over all others.Chilldren were not allowed to speak until spoken to and had to follow a set of rules relating to whet was regarded as proper behaviour at the table.Today many parents still impose the rule that a child must ask permission to leave the table.This rule certainly suggests that children have been forced to come to the table and would really prefer to eat elsewhere.