The table and the bed

In the book, A Thousand Days in Tuscany, Barlozzo, the padrone of a small village in Tuscany has these words of wisdom:
“ They all know the truth, that there are only three subjects worth talking about…the weather, which as farmers, affects everything else. Dying and birthing, of both people and animals. And what we eat-this last item comprising what we ate the day before and what we’re eating tomorrow. And all three of these major subjects encompass, in one way or another, philosophy, psychology, sociology, anthropology, the physical sciences, history, art, literature, and religion. We get around to sparring about all that counts in life but we usually do it while talking about food, it being a subject inseparable from every other subject.
It’s the table and the bed that count in life. And everything else we do, we do so we can get back to the table, back to the bed.”
From “A Thousand Days in Tuscany” by Marlena De Blasi