Rule - Eating together is communion.
Foster shares that in literature, eating together is a form of communion. When eating a meal with others is important in a book it is not simply because they are sharing a meal together, but rather because they are sharing life experiences throughout the meal which is what makes it communion. Personalities are shared and relationships are bonded through these meals and can be an important part of the text. He also adds that when a meal does not go well with others, it is a hint at the fact that relationships are failing and something negative is going to occur.
Examples:
The Great Gatsby - One of the important parts to the story is the luncheon that everyone has together where Tom and Gatsby end up arguing as Gatsby fears losing Daisy. During this luncheon, a lot of drama happens and the meal goes poorly which exemplifies what Foster means when he says that a poor meal leads to negative outcomes.
Coraline - In this movie, a secret door is found in a girl's new home so she goes through it to find a button-eyed version of her family. She has a large meal with them in one of the scenes and it has all great food that she enjoys. These meals are used by the button-eyed version of her mother or, the other mother, to gain her trust and make Coraline stay with them forever.
Dinner at Homesick Restaurant - In this book, the mother in the story is always attempting to have her family enjoy a good meal together. Something always goes wrong at the dinner table and it causes strains in relationships due to the constant bad meals together.
