Food serves as a form of communication in two fundamental ways. Sharing bread or other foods is a common human tradition that can promote unity and trusts. Food can also have a specific meaning, and play a significant role in a family or culture's celebrations or traditions. The foods we eat—and when and how we eat them—are often unique to a particular culture or may even differ between rural (农村的) and urban areas within one country.

Sharing bread, whether during a special occasion (时刻) or at the family dinner table, is a common symbol of togetherness. Many cultures also celebrate birthdays and marriages with cakes that are cut and shared among the guests. Early forms of cake were simply a kind of bread, so this tradition hits its roots in the custom of sharing bread.

Food also plays an important role in many New Year celebrations. In the southern United States, pieces of corn bread represent blocks of gold for prosperity (兴旺) in the New Year. In Greece, people share a special cake called vasilopita. A coin is put into the cake, which signifies (预示) success in the New Year for the person who receives it.

Many cultures have ceremonies to celebrate the birth of a child, and food can play a significant role. In China, when a baby is one month old, families name and welcome their child in a celebration that includes giving red-colored eggs to guests. In many cultures, round foods such as grapes, bread, and moon cakes are eaten at welcome celebrations to represent family unity.

Nutrition is necessary for life, so it is not surprising that food is such an important part of different cultures around the world.

If you're concerned about gaining weight over the upcoming holiday season，consider eating more slowly and you might consume less，a study suggests.Diet experts have been promoting this advice for years，and now nutrition scientists at the University of Rhode Island have some new data to back it up.

They had 30 normal－weight，college－age women come into a laboratory for lunch on two separate occasions.Each time，the women were offered a huge plate full of delicious food，plus a glass of water.They were asked to eat until the point of comfortable fullness.On one occasion，they were instructed to eat as quickly as they could; on the other occasion they ate slowly and put down their spoons between bites.

They did not know the food and water was weighed before and after the meal to determine the amount consumed.Findings were: When eating quickly，the women consumed 646 calories in about nine minutes.When eating more slowly，they had an average of 579 calories in about 29 minutes.

“They ate 67 calories more in nine minutes than they did in 29 minutes，” says lead researcher Kathleen Melans.“If you add that up over three meals a day, that's a big difference in calories.”

“Upon completion of the meal and an hour afterward，the women were less satisfied and hungrier when eating quickly compared with when they ate slowly，” she says.They said they enjoyed the meal more when they were taking their time.Not surprisingly，the women drank more water when they ate more slowly，and researchers are doing a follow－up study on whether that factor contributed to their feeling fullness.

One way to help control calories intake during Thanksgiving is “to slow down and savor(品味) and enjoy your food more，” she says.

A British friend told me he couldn’t understand why Chinese people love eating sunflower seeds (嗑瓜子) as a snack so much. “I’ve met a lot of older Chinese and many have a crack in their front teeth. I believe that’s from cracking the seeds,” he said.

I had never noticed the habit, but once he mentioned it, I suddenly became more aware. I realized that whenever I’m watching TV or typing a report, I always start mindlessly cracking sunflower seeds. My friend doesn’t like sunflower seeds, and, to him, it seems unnecessary to work so much just to get one small seed.

When we were young, the whole family would usually get together for Chinese New Year. Then, we all lived close to one another, usually in a small city, and sometimes even neighbors would go door-to-door on Chinese New Year’s Eve to check out what every household was making.

I remember my parents would be in the kitchen cooking. Out in the living room, a large table would already be laid out, complete with fancy tablecloth, ready-made dumpling fillings, and dishes full of candy, fruits and sunflower seeds. Some of the dishes were to be offered to our ancestors later, while others were for neighbors and children to eat before the evening feast. I must have learned how to crack sunflower seeds back then.

I don’t think it’s right to criticize (批评) ones’ choice in food or eating habits, no matter how strange they may seem. It’s not only in China. When I went to other countries, I found people had all sorts of strange habits when it came to food. In Denmark, they put salted red fish on bread and eat it for dinner, no matter how much it ruins your breath. They think it’s a delicacy (美味佳肴), and it’s connected to their certain culture. I think it’s a wonderful tradition.