Food Quote by Sergio Esposito
![“We always ate with gusto...It would have offended the cook if we had nibbled or picked...Our mothers and zie [aunties] didn't inquire as to the states of our bellies; they just put the food on our plates. 'You only ask sick people if they're hungry,' my mother said. 'Everyone else must eat, eat!'…” quote by Sergio Esposito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/72e/sergio-esposito-166744_food_we-always-ate-with-gusto-it-would-have-o_759109.jpg)
““We always ate with gusto...It would have offended the cook if we had nibbled or picked...Our mothers and zie [aunties] didn't inquire as to the states of our bellies; they just put the food on our plates. 'You only ask sick people if they're hungry,' my mother said. 'Everyone else must eat, eat!' But when Italians say 'Mangia! Mangia!' they're not just talking about food. They're trying to get you to stay with them, to sit by them at the table for as long as possible. The meals that my family ate together- the many courses, the time in between at the table or on the mountain by the sea, the hours spent talking loudly and passionately and unyieldingly and laughing hysterically the way Neapolitans do- were designed to prolong our time together; the food was, of course, meant to nourish us, but it was also meant to satisfy, in some deeper way, our endless hunger for one another.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Italian Table: A Cultural History, 2015
Meals are a ritual to strengthen family bonds, using food as a means to extend shared time and emotional connection.
In simple terms: Food is used to keep families together and nurture relationships.
Key Takeaway
Cherish shared meals to deepen relationships.
Themes
family
culture
food
connection
tradition
Mood
warm
nostalgic
joyful
Type
cultural
reflective
inspirational
When to use this quote
- family gatherings
- holiday feasts
- long dinner conversations
- multigenerational meals
Key Concepts
social bonding
cultural identity
ritual
hospitality
Questions to Reflect On
- How do shared meals shape your sense of belonging?
- What rituals do you have to sustain relationships?
A Different Perspective
May overlook individual dietary needs or preferences.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
