Could shared meals, like Thai culture, be the answer to tackling the UK’s growing loneliness crisis?
Heritage explores how the Thai approach to communal food and dining creates connections and what the UK can learn from it.
Sitting down for a meal with loved ones is a human habit that transcends nationality. People gather with their friends and family in every corner of the world to share meals and stories around the table.
In Thailand, eating together is routine and a form of socialisation, and making and sharing food is a love language.
In the UK, however, meals together have become a rarer occasion. A study by HelloFresh found that almost a quarter of UK families only manage to eat together once a week, if at all. Instead, eating has become a solitary activity between school, work and screen time.
This surprised Rose Piangfah, 27, who moved from Bangkok to Sheffield two years ago to study for a Master’s degree.
“In Thailand, you barely ever see someone eating alone,” Rose explained. “Always with friends, family, colleagues or even neighbours.”
Rose told me that sharing dishes in Thailand is common; groups usually order the dishes at the table.
“Eating is not just food for us. It’s about culture as well. With neighbours, for example, maybe they’ll cook something, I’ll cook something, and then we will all share; it makes us a community.”
The way Thai people greet each other reflects this way of life. “In Thailand, we do not ask ‘How are you?’ We ask, ‘Have you eaten?’” Rose explained.
This attitude is a testament to the Thai way of life, where community is prioritised over individualism– something the UK is struggling with.
The UK’s loneliness crisis is well-documented.
Researchers from the UK National Office of Statistics estimate that around 1 in 4 people suffer from loneliness; it has become a silent epidemic.
While factors such as high screen time and a loss of ‘third places’ like community centres and libraries can certainly be looked to when asking why this is, changes in our everyday habits play a huge role. The breakdown in social activities, such as shared meals, contributes.
Many of those surveyed in the UK admitted to squirrelling themselves away to their bedroom for dinner or eating it in front of the telly, shrinking the opportunities for connection.
“Even if a Thai family is watching TV while eating, it’s a communal event; we talk over it about the show! Then we would discuss our days in the ad break,’ Rose explained.
Even the Thai way of eating, which is that many main meals are shared between everyone at the table, reflects their community culture and is something we should learn from.
Yajai Bo, born in America and living in Thailand for five years, put it well: “Thai culture is very food-focused; bringing someone fruit or a snack is a gesture of kindness. Putting ice in people’s glasses, pouring their drinks for them, is a simple way of showing love.”
“My favourite Thai love language is when you eat with Thai people, they put a little bite-sized piece of food on your plate, and I will put pieces of mine on their plates.”
Small gestures such as these build connections and create moments of togetherness from which we could all benefit; food can nurture the mind and body, relationships, and community.
Reclaiming mealtimes for talking and connecting with loved ones could be a decisive step towards addressing loneliness in the UK. As seen in Thai culture, meals can bridge gaps between people and build and maintain social bonds.
So sitting down together in the evenings or offering to cook for your neighbour is how the people of the UK could begin to foster a greater sense of community.
We cannot take for granted the value of everyday shared experiences; you never know who you may need someone to talk to.
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