The tradition of families getting together to eat meals is disappearing. What are the reasons? What are the impacts?

In recent years, it is noticeable that families are losing their habit of eating together. Some explanations for

this

trend will be put forward before an analysis of its effect is given. The fact that family members choose not to eat with each other can be attributed to some reasons. The

first

reason is the mismatch among family members’ schedule. Members of a family can have different working or studying plans in a day,

therefore

, it is a challenge for them to sit down to have a meal together.

Instead

, people will have a tendency to eat out with their friends, colleagues or business partners. Another reason is the effect of the fast

food

culture of people’s eating habit. Fast

food

seems to be ubiquitous nowadays, from fast

food

restaurants to

food

vendors on the streets with a wide range of prices. Due to

this

convenience, a lot of people, especially youngsters, tend to grab a meal to be quickly revitalized after hard working hours at school or work, which leads to their lack of appetite and skipping meals with their family after coming home. The trend exerts both advantageous and disadvantageous influences on individuals and families. In terms of its merits, people can benefit a lot from

this

since they will be much more flexible with their time. They can save a lot of time not having to show up at a fixed hour to have meals with their family and can eat whatever and whenever they want even during working.

However

, in terms of the negative effects,

this

can lead to the weakened family bond and

also

lack of a sense of family. If a family continuously eats separately, family members may not share their thoughts and advice to each other,

hence

they can feel isolated and the connection between them will be less intimate. To conclude, the tendency of eating separately in a household is caused by the difference in members’ schedule or the preference of eating fast

food

, and both positive and negative impacts of

this

can be clearly witnessed.