"The shared meal is no small thing. It is a foundation of family life, the place where our children learn the art of conversation and acquire the habits of civilization: sharing, listening, taking turns, navigating differences, arguing without offending. What have been called the "cultural contradictions of capitalism"--its tendency to undermine the stabilizing social forms it depends on--are on vivid display today at the modern American dinner table, along with all the brightly colored packages that the food industry has managed to plant there." --