Mukbang Commensality

Those familiar with the two words of this post's title may feel that it's also an oxymoron. Yet I feel we ought make it an open secret.

The former I wrote about as No. 49 of the 52 Ways in my book, Video Calls That Sell. The latter I discover via London's The Times columnist and consumer champion, Harry Wallop.

It simply means eating together. As an act or practice, often with strongly defined societal rules and conventions, crafting fellowship at the table. From the Latin, where 'com' is together and 'mensa' table.

The journalist and broadcaster cited above references a couple of studies that, as his headline suggests, 'the company that eats together stays together'. Above the visual subhead, 'why lunching with your colleagues rather than ‘al desko’ can foster a greater sense of community'.

You can't help but swapping in our verb to that header. The company that eats together sells together. Or even dare I suggest, the prospect and seller that eats together works together.

For a while I've been surprised how few companies and units within them don't try this more.

One of my most pleasurable experiences from that strange time with us all confined to our screen thumbnail presence, was a mukbang. A team apart, yet communally eating. A lovely fizz throughout. Ideas, smiles and ambitions flourishing in that oasis of permitted pause.

Such events foster direction, productivity and belonging. The latter being such a buzzword of ʜʀ at the moment it is astonishing you don't hear of methods that encourage eating together blossoming. And that's without factoring in the hard, countable economic fillip it provides.

You'll always have those - the stats quoted show around one-in-four - that naturally prefer to eat alone. The point being made was to calendar a slot. The once a week everyone sits down for a bite together, say.

I've long advocated connections at the fringes too. Built these in lately? Well, here's a great chance.

Interestingly, his preceding column hinted at much for same for the once ubiquitous but now extinct official humble office teabreak. (The last time I witnessed such everyday ceremony was in a now long gone German-owned big ticket print manufacturer's West London sales office, complete with tealady pushing trolley, huge urn atop, circa 2007.)

Comms spreads, innovation sparkles, barriers wilt.

But you can start simple. And watch the growth.