Socializing - why do we need to eat?

“Lets order something before we sit down.”

Do you feel obligated or embarrassed enough to order at a cafe?

Isn’t the problem more pervasive? Don’t you feel obliged to serve food and drink to a visitor at home? Don’t you look at the hour and wonder if just tea will do or whether you need a full meal?

Why has socializing become so intertwined with food?

So much so that a famous coffee chain built a global empire around the need to meet each other, and eat and drink while doing it.

Once, providing food and drink to visitors reflected positively on you. It was in short supply and you were being big-hearted. The practice has endured.

Why can’t we meet for the company and skip the drinks et al., thank you very much.

Recall the young professional in Bengaluru who had to endure name calling simply because she wanted to sit at a coffee shop and not buy anything.

I dont want to take sides, but wouldnt a simple answer be to allow her to sit, pay and not eat or drink anything. A cover charge of some kind so that people can simply meet without the pressure of food.

Why cant I come visiting and have both parties perfectly content to not have to offer or eat or drink anything.

Why has socializing become such a point of high friction that people lose complete control over their choice of consumption of food?

Can we accept that we now live in a world of plenty? I know people still go hungry, but if you are reading this, you are not one of them.

You are likely well fed, when you visit a friend or meet for your very expensive coffee.

So can we just pay to sit? Or have me visit and ask if I really need to eat something without being considered impolite?

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