When I visited France, I knew little to no French. I felt lost - I was a total outsider. However, I felt the most included in french culture when I talked about food. The few French words I knew were all food related: fromage, escargot, and poisson for example. When I meet new people, I find it easiest to relate to them about food. When I went to dinner to meet my brother's girlfriend for the first time, I was a nervous wreck. I was afraid she wouldn't like me, or worse: that I wouldn't like her. We all stared blankly at the menu for a few minutes when my brother's girlfriend insisted we order the fried eggplant. I instantly felt better - fried eggplant was my favorite thing on the menu. This girl had great taste. The rest of the dinner went smoothly as we talked about our favorite restaurants and had an overall great time. Food, though it sometimes may seem like our enemy, brings people together in more ways than one. I've felt that I can relate to almost anyone when it comes to talking about food. Ever need to diffuse an uncomfortable situation? Bring up the topic of food. Ever need to make someone feel better when they're sad? Take them to get their favorite food. No matter what, food will always be there for us.