Phones Ain’t Food. No Phone During Meal Times!

In Short:

Do not use your phone during meal times for one whole week. #PhonesAintFood

The No Phone During Meal Times Jallenge

Have you ever eaten a mobile telephone? No? Good. Neither have we.

However, despite being inedible, we see an alarmingly high number of telephones being used during meal times. Why? Has taking pictures of your food become more important than enjoying the food itself? Do you rather tell your online friends what you are about to consume than value the presence of everyone around you by indulging in a meaningful conversation with them? Or has it just become a bad habit that nobody really appreciates and should hence be stopped?

If you opt for one of the first two theories, please keep at it and check out our other Jallenges. Should option number 3 hold most true for you, please read on.

Cool. So you decided to do something about it. Awesome! We are with you! And so are all those lovely people who will have the honor to enjoy your presence during a meal in the near future.

The Jallenge is simple: Do not use your phone during meal times. No, not at all. Do not check the time, your messages, or your battery status. Realize that anything you could do with a phone during meal times becomes entirely irrelevant in case things were the other way around – you had a phone, but no meal. (Calling Domino’s Pizza doesn’t count. We’re sure you know what we mean.) So please leave your phone in your pocket, actively value the meal in front of you, and try to subtly force everyone around you to do the same, by engaging them into a compelling conversation, or by telling bad jokes.

Isn’t that fun? And feels so much more rewarding than staring at a lifeless, most-likley-not-so-delicious screen?

If you can, keep it up for a full week. You will see how much more memorable your meals become. Share your experiences.

#PhonesAintFood

Definitions & Exceptions:

Meal Time: In case you are unsure what “meal time” means: In a restaurant, this would be from the moment you enter the restaurant until the moment you leave. If at home, countdown starts once you sit down to eat, until the moment you stand up to go and wash the dishes.

Exception: Throughout the week, you will be allowed to use the phone for one single purpose: To take a cool picture of you and your friends bubbling over with laughter. Or a selfie of you and some new-found buddies that you chatted up in the restaurant.