Food is a global language that is present in practically every moment of our lives. It’s there to celebrate every milestone from life and death, love, and sorrow and is a comforting hand in the lives of humans. Food has always been an integral part of our existence, culture, and history.
Photo essay
Takeaway: A group of friends sharing a takeaway together on a Friday night.
While understanding different languages can be difficult and a barrier when engaging with others and new cultures, the language of food is a universally understood lingua franca. The presence of food goes far beyond just nourishing our physical bodies and minds, but it allows us to explore different cultures, memories and stories and allows people to connect with one another. We can have French pastries and Brazilian coffee for breakfast then an Indian curry or fresh Italian pasta for lunch and finish the day off with Singapore noodles and Victoria sponge cake for dessert.
This ease of convenience food is one of the ways we positively experience human travel and a globalised society to the extent that, in the UK, dishes that may once have seemed exotic are now part of our culture and everyday lives, with dishes like Chicken Tikka Masala being the National dish.
Food not only sustains our survival but, also acts as a foundation for various cultures to communicate. The simple act of sharing a meal and breaking bread with others whilst spending time around the dinner table. A meal can be the beginning of relationship, an activity that is used to catch up with your nearest and dearest or can be something people dread and have alone.
Whether it is sat on the floor or eating on your sofa each photo captures the different ways different people share and enjoy different meals. Forming new memories and exchanging old ones in return.
Lap tray: A couple eating a homemade dinner on a lap tray in front of the tv
Serving food : Rice being served whilst others chat and eat with their hands
Whilst working on this photo essay I really wanted to focus on the different dynamics that are created whilst sharing a meal with others. Through the images, I draw upon different experiences and perspectives from different people, keeping the overall look the same for cohesion and to show that although each meal is different, the act of sharing a meal is the same no matter how, where or who you experience it with .
All images, Ⓒ All the images have been taken and edited by Nazifa Miah