Don't Miss Out On the Meal For the Food

There's something wonderful about having a chief God whose wisdom crackles with practicality. Odin advises us to eat a little before we go to a social gathering lest we lose out on the conviviality for our own ravenousness.

Havamal 33 : Árliga verðar skyli maðr opt fá nema til kynnis komi sitr ok snópir lætr sem solginn sé ok kann fregna at fá,"Early should a person take a meal, unless he comes amongst his kin, (for he) sits and mopes, acting like a hungry glutton, and can ask little."

Boy, is that true! I never really gave this stanza much thought. Then, today, I went to a vegan gathering after not having eaten all day. All I cared about was gulping down my food! I felt rude, because the point of the gathering was to interact, which I did a little, but mainly, I wolfed down my food!

Meals are meant to be social occasions, full of conviviality and the opportunity to learn. They are not just about eating. Eating together facilitates something larger. If all you can think about is your stomach, you lose out on the magic.