While food is necessary for survival, it cannot merely represent this small aspect of life. Food is a vehicle through which society can learn more about the world. The act of eating does not require a certain language, age, or time zone. It is an all-compassing cultural experience. It represents tradition, family, love, and war. Eating is necessary, and because of this, the act of eating forces society to be present, and therefore, to recognize the life placed in front of them. In Joy Harjo's, "Perhaps the World Ends Here,"" the kitchen table, as a representation of acknowledging the present moment, proves that the act of eating changes meaning according to circumstance. .
The kitchen table constantly takes on different roles. As Harjo states elegantly, "the world begins at the kitchen table, " in other words, humans, whether they like it or not, must eat in order to survive. However, the act of eating reaches far beyond the boundaries of a necessity for survival. The kitchen table is a place where one is able to appreciate the "gifts of the Earth"" (3). In today's society, it is commonplace to eat while partaking in another activity. When one does this, they are unable to appreciate the goods that the Earth has given them. They are distracted, and therefore, unappreciative. However, sitting at the table, forces a certain, rare presence that one is unable to find during their daily lives. Furthermore, the kitchen table is also a place in which many children mature. For example, "it is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human"" (7). At the kitchen table, parents instruct their children on the proper ways to behave at a kitchen table, skills which will serve them for the rest of their lives. Essentially, the kitchen table is a place where many children grow up. Once these children grow, they become adults who "gossip"" and "recall enemies and the ghosts of lovers"" (9).
