ADDRESSING THE CRISIS OF CONNECTION

Cooking is community. At its base, the preparation of food is a form of cultural language. This was the contention of the anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss in his 1964 book The Raw and the Cooked, in which he asserted that society is formed by the act of cooking. We create community as we prepare and share food.

On a very concrete level, we saw this while compiling the materials for the two published volumes of the Maine Community Cookbooks. In glimpses into kitchens around the state, the shape of a vast, interconnected community came into focus. It became clear to us, too, that there is a tremendous human desire to strengthen community bonds through shared recipes and food-related stories. The reception of each book when it was published underscored this impact: readers felt connections and emotional investment in the people whose stories they’d read and whose recipes they’d made.

At a time when our society is divided more than ever by political and cultural disagreement, sharing a meal or a recipe is a modest gesture that can create an outsized impact. In the work of john a. powell, Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at the University of California at Berkeley, the trend towards division is referred to as “breaking,” with its antidote being “bridging.” In bridging, we work outwardly to connect with others across societal lines, seeking ways to build common ground. Bridging takes us away from the politics of isolation and towards empathy and belonging. At a communal table, making connections through the intermediary of food can allow people to focus on what they have in common, rather than their dissimilarities. Appreciation for the work that went into a lattice-crust pie or admiration of the elegant cursive of a grandmother’s beloved recipe are feelings that cross social boundaries.

“Good relationships keep us healthier and happier. Period.” This is one of the key takeaways of the recent book, The Good Life, which shares results from an 84-year multigenerational Harvard Study of Adult Development. Researchers Robert Waldinger, MD, and Marc Schulz, PhD, expand on this idea, drawn from decades of research and thousands of interviews, to conclude that our essential wellbeing depends upon human connection and the maintenance of meaningful relationships. In the wake of the COVID pandemic, which isolated so many, and in the throes of social media addiction which offers fleeting and often false feelings of connection, the need for meaningful in-person connection has never been more important.

The Surgeon General agrees. In May 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, released an advisory on the healing effects of social connection and community entitled, “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” This advisory outlines the psychological, emotional, and physical health impacts caused by the widening crisis of connection in American society. The report overflows with startling research and statistics: “Lacking social connection is as dangerous as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day”; “By 2018 only 16% of Americans reported feeling ‘very attached’ to their local community”; and “Social connection increases the odds of survival by 50%.” Fortunately, the report also offers a National Strategy to Advance Social Connection. Key parts of this strategy include building a “culture of connection,” and “creating opportunities and spaces for inclusive social connection.”

Community Plate’s mission is aligned to further this strategy. We believe that a robust organization dedicated to creating connections through the sharing of food and stories, is an opportunity to bridge divides, foster new relationships, facilitate connection, address loneliness, and serve community in every plate.