When I was alone, I lived on eggplant, the stove top cook's strongest ally.
No one who cooks cooks alone.
And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends.
I was taught in my Introduction to Anthropology [course in college], it is not just the great works of [hu]mankind that make a culture. It is the daily things, like what people eat and how they serve it.
Both happy and sad people can be cheered up by a nice meal.
Many people eat salad dutifully because they feel it is good for them, but more enlightened types eat it happily because it is good.