What do People do Together Besides EAT?

As a follow up to my last post I am curious to hear what you do with friends besides eat and/or drink.

When friends get together food is usually there too!

It seems that most social gatherings revolve around eating and drinking.

I was looking through some of the answers to the previous top 10 post and realized that many people assumed the meal in question was meant to be eaten alone, and then the solution was simply to go hang out with friends. At this point I would assume that you will probably end up eating food with your friends as well.

Then I started to think about it some more, and realized that there is almost no social gathering I can think of that doesn’t involve some sort of food or beverage consumption. This can be as simple as going out for a coffee, right up to a thanksgiving dinner Eat-A-Thon. It’s actually quite difficult to think of a social gathering that doesn’t have food or beverages involved. It’s actually so difficult that I can’t think of any.

So, my next question to you is this:

List or think of any social gatherings that you partake in (or can think of) that do not involve consuming either food or drink.

For just a second I thought perhaps playing a recreational sport would count, but most people bring gatorade or some sort of electrolyte beverage to even recreational ‘beer league’ events. So I’m half and half on this one (mostly because gatorade simply isn’t necessary unless you’re playing in extreme heat or for prolonged periods of time…in any other case water does just fine)

I actually can’t think of anything…can you? (please answer in the comment section)

John

Posted by johnbarban in Weight Loss

Tags: eating socially, social eating |17 Comments

17 Responses to “What do People do Together Besides EAT?”

Sam Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Usually when I go out to a movie with friends it doesn’t involve any food, but I guess for most people it does.

Hmmm, this is a tough one but here are some:
1. Working out
2. Going for a walk after dinner (HA! technicality)
3. ….I’m out
Dave Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Yeah ever since I’ve started eat stop eat, I find it’s more noticeable how much food has invaded every passtime. First I thought, roadtrip! But no, people bring food and drinks there, in case they get hungry in between diner stops of course. I go over my friend’s place to hang out, who constantly complains to me about how he can’t lose weight, and he has like four full bags of chips. The only thing is some leisure physical activity, but even then you usually eat afterwards, though it’s usually relatively healthy. Every social gathering seems to either center around food, or at least end with food. Maybe that’s why we like it so much, it brings us together.
Girlwithnoname (Jackie) Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
sex??

I think working out and sports count tho. The drink is for sustenance, not part of the activity enjoyment like popcorn is at a movie.
johnbarban Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Jackie,

That was exactly my point about gatorade…it’s not for sustenance because there is no proof that it is required for short duration activity/exercise and in the absence of extreme heat. Thats why I’m half and half on that one.

I agree that it’s not totally like popcorn at a movie, but I would say it is very similar. The research on electrolyte replacement drinks shows that people need to be training at a pretty high level for longer than 90 minutes before they need to replace any electrolytes. The only other time it might be required is when the temperature is excessively hot.

In both cases I thinks it’s pretty safe to say the average gym goer or recreational athlete never gets to the point when they actually ‘need’ a gatorade.

JB
Girlwithnoname (Jackie) Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
AH!!!

True, gatorade is NOT “required” but people bring it because they have convinced themselves it IS. Ergo, my point stands, the refreshment is not brought or consumed for the purpose of heightening the enjoyment of the activity, but for sustenance. Therefore sports and exercise counts because this is something people do together that doesn’t ‘revolve around consumption’. You wouldn’t count sports and exercise if people ONLY drank water at the event, would you? The gatorade is consumed by those that consume it for the same reason us SANE people would drink the water.

Popcorn at a movie however… I could swing a dead cat and find someone who will say a movie just isn’t as much fun without the big tub of greasy popcorn.

or a night out at the bar isn’t fun without booze.

That being said, I used to belong to a running group called the Hash House Harriers. Heard of them? They call themselves “A drinking club with a running problem” haha.
johnbarban Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Well put and point taken. I think you’ve managed to nudge me off the fence on this one. (the few gatorade drinkers notwithstanding)

So we’re also assuming the people are in fact there for the sport and not another group of Hash House Harriers!

JB
Girlwithnoname (Jackie) Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
yes, I didn’t share that detail about my old running club to lose this debate, just for fun!!

haha. And your stance on sex counting as an activity that doesn’t revolve around consumption? agree? disagree???
johnbarban Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Well Jackie,

If you look at the post again I was asking for: “a social gathering you partake in that doesn’t involve food”…if you can define your sex life as a “social gathering” then you’ve got a whole new world of stuff to share with everyone on how to lose weight!

…like what the eff are you doing out there?!

JB
Girlwithnoname (Jackie) Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
LOL. oops. social gathering. hm. welp, I’ll stand back now.

HAHA.
Cooper Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Great post and a question that’s often popped in to my head. I’ve never been able to think of any. Getting a group of friends together to play sports past the age of about 25 is almost impossible. The exception seems to be when it’s prearranged and part of a league or something.

In Scotland, it’s a huge part of the culture to go out drinking on the weekends. Usually the after effects make me regret it but I’ve never thought of a good replacement. It’s no fun sitting in on a Saturday night alone wondering how good of a time your friends are having out in the town.

It would be great if this post generated some alternatives!
johnbarban Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Cooper,

I was hoping for an answer but I think there isn’t one. I think what we’re realizing is that we all eat socially, plain and simple. And if we want to lose weight it makes more sense to assume we will eat socially and then try to be more strict with what we consume when we’re not being social. It seems like a losing battle to also fight the social eating.

JB
Chad Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Well don’t hang with many guys because most are chumps and aren’t hard dudes. And the guys at the gym don’t have enough education to gain my interest or friendship. Also, most guys that watch sports(football) never actually played past HS so again that’s a waste of my time. I find I enjoy hanging with attractive female friends where the satisfaction is mutual.
Gareth Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
Hey there

Coming from South Africa I can say that surfing can pretty much cover these requirements. When we go for a surf it’s pretty much drive to the beach, hit the waves for a couple of hours, go home… and eat. I guess surfing also kinda falls into that trap. But it is relative, I mean if you spend a couple hours surfing having a cooldrink afterwards and then going home to eat dinner is pretty much standard. It’s not like the activity revolves around food and drink consumption. Also, if the conditions are good most will get up whatever time, skip breakfast and hit the waves. In that case you’re also pretty much at the beach the whole day and I gaurantee you’ll eat less then you normally do if you’re sitting on your butt.

Also, most surfers are pretty much always broke so buying lots of food isn’t an option…
John M. Says:
December 10th, 2009 at 12:46 am
I go to church every Sunday. And that involvws no eating or drinking at all.
Amy Says:
December 10th, 2009 at 4:14 am
A friend of mine with children pointed out that though she could lose some weight by missing out dinners, but that is the only time of the day she can feed and eat with her family, and she just can’t miss that. So she is rather in for a few extra pounds. I think she got the point: socially we express care love and joy with feeding each other or eating together. Certainly it goes back in history. Eating together means we belong together, you share your meal with your people. I love cooking and feeding people, for me a good chat in the kitchen with a glass of wine while cooking beats eating itself.
I think sports, games and hobbies are great as social events, and not necessarily involve eating or drinking. (Yoga classes, hiking tours etc.) Or studying together in a group, chatting on blog sites, like this. But probably all kind of social relationship becomes intimate when it involves eating. Even the service at church is a symbol of sharing the Body of Christ.
Dillon Says:
December 10th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
1.) The shooting range. No food or beverages allowed.
2.) Dancing. Specifically, in a class environment (and not in a bar/club).
3.) Martial arts. I and a bunch of my friends hit the dojo together.

Yeah… I’m out!
pligg.com Says:
February 9th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
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What do People do Together Besides EAT?

17 Responses to “What do People do Together Besides EAT?”

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