English
In the Western culture is it considered rude if you talk with your mouth full. However, have you ever sat at the dinner table and it was completely silent?
Social gatherings nearly always include food. Having a meal together is a strong tool for our social communication and interaction. In fact, many times it is not just the meal itself that is important, often the preparation that goes into it as well. The popularity of cooking shows on TV support this notion.
The exhibition Kochen, essen, redden – satt? (transl. cooking, eating, talking – full?) at the Museum of Communication in Berlin aims to reiterate the powerful role that food and meals have as tools of communication. Displaying historical flashbacks, amusing anecdotes, art, literature work, as well as anthropological analysis of daily rituals and comparisons, the exhibition shows in an interdisciplinary manner how closely knit the bond between cooking, eating and talking is.
The exhibition is divided into 5 segments which all focus on different aspects and scenarios of eating:
1. zuhause essen (eating at home) is something that happens everyday in every household and yet it can be so different. From childhood memories to private dinner parties to lonely dinners in front of the TV.
2. draussen essen (eating outside): eating outside at the camp fire is how eating in a group began, but today there’s different reasons for eating outside: no time, no home, love of nature…
3. auswärts essen (eating out): cafeterias, restaurants, snack bars, etc.
4. öffentlich essen (eating publicly): eating to see and be seen. It’s all a matter of image.
5. richtig essen (eating the right way): Everything you need to know about nutrition and more…
The exhibition opened back in March and will be open until the 29th of August. Until the summer school vacation starts there will be NUTRIKIDS workshops, which teach children in 3rd and 4th grade about nutrition. I’m sure visiting this exhibition will encourage you to eat. Whether you would like to go to a restaurant or cook at home, go to Berlin and rent the best Apartments in Berlin to save money for a nice meal.
