A Place at the Table

I’ve been working on a little sociology experiment lately and I’m happy to report that it is going very well. I got the idea from one of the projects on which I have been collaborating. The project is called Crossroads Charlotte and it deals with bringing people of different backgrounds, ethnicities and races together and building trust. As part of this project, I was privileged to be able to interview people of different races, ages, and sexual orientations. One of the questions asked was “What do you think are the best ways to get people from different backgrounds together?” A disproportionately high number of responses had to do with food. People like to eat, and if you create an environment in which they feel comfortable and entice them with the promise of a tasty meal, they will show up. In other words, if you cook it, they will come.

I bounced the idea off a couple of friends and work acquaintances, and everyone seemed to like the idea. Soon after, this little scheme had become a reality. We started with a group on the Crossroads Charlotte website, but once we created a Facebook page—things really progressed.

Our first group only had seven people, and we went to an Ethiopian restaurant. Admittedly the choice of such an exotic cuisine may be why the initial turnout was less than stellar. Happily, the people who did show up seemed to have a good time. Conversation was lively and everyone seemed to enjoy the experience.

For our next endeavor, we tried a Cuban restaurant recommended by one of the women in the Ethiopian group. This time we had eleven people (see pic)! Once again, everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves over another delicious meal. It seems food does indeed make a great common denominator.

I do recognize that it takes a certain mindset to want to try new things, and that if a person is open to trying new foods -- they are probably also open to meeting people of different backgrounds. I still am glad to have found a vehicle by which I can do this. I know that the people I have met in my life who are different from myself have also been the best people to teach me. Someone whose life is very similar to yours probably isn’t going to know much that you also don’t know.

I also had another thought as I watched these two tables of people intermingle. Over time, as the world becomes more integrated—there will be more interbreeding of the races. Eventually, as all the races meld—we will end up with essentially one hybrid race that is a genetic combination of all the races that were previously separate. There won’t be much need for racial tolerance, because we will all be one race. Eventually we may even move towards one world currency. Perhaps even just one world culture with nations taking on basically the same significance as individual states in one nation. I think I’m cool with that. I don’t really care if there are no definitive Americans, Mexicans or Ethiopians. As long as I can still get American, Mexican or Ethiopian cuisine.