The Gluten Will Bring Us Together

As we recover from a time of social disconnection, food fads have been a way to defeat feelings of isolation by creating a sense of commonality and community. The smell of a freshly baked loaf of bread may momentarily vanquish the difficulty of the day, while the knowledge that someone a thousand miles away is enjoying the smells of the same recipe brings connection.

Food fads have always been around, sometimes causing raised eyebrows, sometimes pleasantly happy bellies. Think of kale and its sudden and very weird popularity–which other veggie has bumper stickers? A food fad differs from a fad diet: Food fads are the collective enjoyment of a particular food or dish, whereas a fad diet is a communal restriction of foods or food groups in pursuit of a specific idea of health.

The dishes popular during the lockdowns served to evoke memories of childhood, of easier times, and helped to create a deeper meaning in a day that may otherwise have been a twisted incarnation of Groundhog Day. These recipes, shared and reshared in the hundreds of Facebook groups dedicated to cooking, served to bring all corners of the earth together. The obstacles of the moment were briefly destroyed with the satisfying crunch of a freshly baked sourdough crust.

Did you sip your Dalgona coffee while admiring a gardenscape focaccia? Have you troubleshot that feta pasta dinner with a new friend over in South Africa, carefully considering ingredients from your limited pantry? Maybe you were one of 217 participants in a margarita contest judged by a mom of three somewhere in Colorado. Whether it’s for fun or necessity, lockdowns sent more people to the kitchen. And while posts about Pinterest fails were popular before the lockdown, at this point you were more likely to see people supporting each other through ingredient substitution, stress-baking, and even the cultivation of wild yeast.

Carrie Gabriel, registered dietitian with Steps 2 Nutrition, has run a Facebook-based cooking group since March 2019.

Healthy Home-Cooking for Real People has consistently provided information and inspiration on seeking health in the kitchen, but at the beginning of the pandemic, the focus shifted from general health toward topics such as how to use pantry staples, ingredient substitution, and tips on how to shop safely and effectively. Gabriel says that cooking is the most economically sound way to put dinner on the table. She also endorses cooking as a family activity, providing a physical and creative outlet for children in need of a structured activity. “Many of us were furloughed and work was significantly diminished. Many were either on unemployment, waiting for unemployment, or possibly just working with the finances we had, not knowing what would happen week to week.” 

Baking is an increasingly common way to de-stress. Philip Muskin, a Columbia University psychiatry professor and former secretary of the American Psychiatry Association says that baking is akin to meditation. “Baking is mindful. Mindfulness means paying attention to yourself in the moment and not being in the past or the future, but really being there.” During a time when it can be too emotionally heavy to consider the next moment, the ability to be present is a welcome relief.

“Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody—I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.” — Mother Teresa 

Bracha Halberstadt, BSW, says, “As human beings, we are born simply wired for connection, and so much of that connection is given and received through touch… In times of social distance, it’s important we have ways to nourish our bodies and souls through other forms of connection.”

Ayelet Katz, MSW, MFT agrees. “The shared sensory experience is just as important as the sustenance it provides. There’s something about eating with others that reaches the core of our desire for attachment and connection. Think of the warmth of hot cocoa on a cold day, the joy of refreshment when sharing watermelon at the beach, or embarking on a mutual adventure while trying new cuisine with your partner.