“When poets — write about food it is usually celebratory. Food as the thing-in-itself, but also the thoughtful preparation of meals, the serving of meals, meals communally shared: a sense of the sacred in the profane.”

“Then there are the 22 million Americans on food stamps. And of course there are the 39 million greedy geezers collecting Social Security. The greatest generation rewarded itself with a pretty big meal.”

“The meal is not over when I'm full. The meal is over when I hate myself.”

“As a kid, I got three meals a day. Oatmeal, miss-a-meal and no meal.”

“Wonderful coffee. Meal in itself”

“When I was in my twenties and broke, I'd buy books before food. A meal will sustain you for a few hours, a good book will sustain you for life.”

“It is far better to eat moderate amounts of food in all of the food ranges, and to consume smaller portions more often. I realize that your social mores also dictate your eating habits - but four light meals a day will overall serve you very well, and give the body a more steady, regulated nourishment.”

“Beer is amazing. Nutritional. Medicinal. A beverage, but also a meal.”

“The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.”

“The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling the body to a ritual of family and community, from the mere animal biology to an act of culture.”