Fans of the iconic American TV-sitcom Friends might be familiar with the tagline “Joey doesn’t share food!”. Little did Joey know that sharing food has its perks.
According to Dr. Gary Chapman, the act of sharing and sending food correlates to two types of love language. In Dr. Chapman’s book The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts, the two love languages that correlate with food are “receiving gifts” and “acts of service”. The other three types of love language are words of affirmation, quality time and physical touch.
What makes the correlation between food and love languages appealing and applicable to everyone is that Dr. Chapman has applied love languages to go beyond romantic relationships and extend to family members, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and even to the workplace.
Dr. Chapman is just one of many professionals to espouse the virtues of sharing food. In the journal article “Food for love: the role of food offering in empathic emotion regulation” by Myrte E. Hamburg et al, food is recognized as a basic human need that affects physiological and emotional states, signifies comfort and is an important indicator to build increased intimacy, friendship and love.
Indonesian mental-health educator Agata Paskarista has also chimed in on the power of food sharing. She states, “a gesture as simple as sending food to another person can be a form of appreciation, affection and also love, able to leave an indelible impression on the recipient. It may seem like such a simple thing to do, but sending someone food at the right time will make them feel very appreciated and cared for.”
According to Agata, food sharing has grown into a new trend and culture accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the time of social-mobility restrictions, many people used online food-delivery services such as GoFood to order food for themselves and their families, or to send food to others as a token of love or appreciation. Regardless of geographical boundaries, food sharing has increasingly gained popularity as a new language of love.
So how can you take advantage of food and the language of love? Here are some tips and tricks to make someone’s day a lot brighter by ordering them some food:
1. Use social media to guide your food order
Today, even grandmas and grandpas use social media to share and store memories. When you want to brighten someone’s day by sending them some food, find clues on their social media or take a peek on their “GoFood Collection” for food that makes them drool. If you spot them craving noodles, head straight to GoFood’s cuisine category and find recommendations for customers’ favorite noodle restaurant. Make the order and before you know it, your food gift will be on their doorstep!
2. Celebrate the little things with food
A celebration does not necessarily have to be marked by a grand occasion like a wedding, engagement, birthday or other festivities. Small wins during your daily routine can be the perfect time to show you care. For example, cheering up your friends in the middle of their exam preparations with a surprise pizza or martabak is a very thoughtful gesture. Or maybe you miss a family member? Send them some comfort food to bring back childhood memories with a taste of the good old days.
3. Share your affection with a note
A short note sent along with your food gift can make a world of difference. Make use of the “virtual greeting card” feature on GoFood to show how much you care. Simply write your personal message directly from the Gojek app and you can also share it on instant-message applications. Who would have thought that simply sending some food could mean so much!
