Meals are not only for biological needs.

I said I had sore throat. But i actually didn't feel uncomfortable speaking.

Sis asked mum if she wanted to read a magazine she bought. First comment again on price. Not only was it the first comment, it was also the last.

Sis went to the washroom, only me and mum left, sitting side by side. We didn't utter a word. The silence was too loud.

Dad came late, as usual. He was doing hair treatment. First comment on the restaurant in economical terms, then did a comparison of the prices between JC and other restaurant. Then started updating himself of sis' study progress. Parents went on discussions. Then mum started to talk about the ban on smoking.

Meals have a strong social element in it in that you share it with other people. A meal is not equal to mastication and swallowing and satisfying hunger. If you take this to be the meaning of a meal and nothing more why bother to have dinner together? For economies of scale in cooking???

There could have been so many other topics to talk about, topics through which you can get to know better about the state of mind of the people beside you. Say, "why did you choose this restaurant?" The answer would be: "i found this place yesterday when i was shopping with Auntie Jojo in the mall above. Food is nice and the place is beautiful~" So you would know what mum did and with whom she did what yesterday, and you get to know with what sort of places and environments she feels comfortable. Or let's say, "what do you like about that magazine?" Then you get to know a lot about what your kids are interested in and you know their views on certain issues.

Discussion, exchanges and sharing form a big part of a family dinner but man, I really couldn't find anything to say. It happens all the time. Just that you don't notice it at home when the TV is on and generating enough noise to fill the silence.