Breaking Bread Together

The sacred, messy, universal bond of communal eating

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I’m fighting off a bronchial infection. The family is coming to our house this year, minus my oldest daughter and a few in-laws who have commitments elsewhere. I sent out a germ warning but still hope everyone takes the chance and shows up.

I was going to show pretty pictures of Thanksgiving tables in this post, with some thoughts about what it means to gather around a table. But after scrolling through hundreds of stunning, exquisitely staged tables on Instagram I realized that the tables were empty. They also seemed really, really hard to achieve, at least through the veil of my stuffy head.

So here for your holiday pleasure I offer a few real photos of real folks eating real food. They are accompanied by my favorite quotes and readings about breaking bread together and what it means.

Whether it’s Thanksgiving or Sunday lunch or sitting down with your elderly mom at her assisted living communal table, think about the unconscious way we perpetuate this ritual every day. Over and over again. It’s quite stupendous when you think about it.

So as you prepare for this day of feasting in whatever traditional or wacky way that brings you sustenance, my Lebanese relatives might say, “Sahtain.” Enjoy your meal.

Martin Luther King Jr. with family and friends after Sunday services, 1967-68. Photo: Benjamin J. Fernandez

They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts._Acts 2:46

Random family Thanksgiving table. Photo: unknown

Food may not be the answer to world peace, but it’s a start._Anthony Bourdain

Random family (some happy, some not so much) at Thanksgiving, 1960s. Photo: unknown

Our fear of others only ends when we bring them in from the terrifying darkness to our fireside and share our bread and companionship with them. Then, and only then, may we find the light together._Stewart Stafford

Me with my husband Tim, waiting for our guests to arrive (brother-in-law cut off on right). Thanksgiving 2023. Photo: Elizabeth Hayes

The people who give you their food give you their heart._Cesar Chavez