Eating at the table, on the couch and in bed: An exploration of different locus of commensality in the discourses of Brazilian working mothers Fernanda Baeza Scagliusi a, * , Patrícia da Rocha Pereira b , Ramiro Fernandez Unsain c , Priscila de Morais Sato c a University of S~ ao Paulo, School of Public Health, Department of Nutrition, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 715, CEP: 01246-904, S~ ao Paulo, SP, Brazil b Renascença Hospital and Maternity, Rua Pedro Fioreti, 480, CEP: 06013- 080, Osasco, SP, Brazil c Federal University of S~ ao Paulo, Campus Baixada Santista, Institute of Health and Society, Rua Silva Jardim,136, CEP: 11015-020, Santos, SP, Brazil article info Article history: Received 16 November 2015 Received in revised form 24 February 2016 Accepted 29 March 2016 Available online 31 March 2016 Keywords: Commensality Eating practices Mothers Brazil Family meals abstract Background: Commensality is a remarkable human act, and tends to be more present among families. Nevertheless, it is possible that eating at the table is being taking for granted when one refers to family meals. Thus, this paper aims to analyze working mothers' discourses about family meals eaten at the table, on the couch and in the bed/bedroom. Methods: The participants were thirty mothers working in public universities of the Brazilian region called Baixada Santista. A qualitative study was conducted, using semi-structured interviews. In the transcripts the words “table”, “couch”, “bed”, “bedroom” were located and the excerpts containing them were extracted and analyzed according to a classical and exploratory content analysis. Results: The table is a significant component of meals that unite the family. While for some the meal at the table is an enjoyable moment, it is a stiff moment for others. Indeed, manners and the notion of hierarchy appeared only for the table. Regarding the couch, it seems that the family chose to eat there, because it is a more casual and relaxed setting. Eating in the bed was related to precarity, intimacy and casualness. In the three settings, watching television was a common practice, replacing or being added to talking. Conclusions: Commensality is such an important practice that appears in different settings and even in precarity contexts. The table emerged as the maximal cornerstone of commensality. However, when it was not present, new arrangements were made. Especially the couch seems to be a new commensal space, less formal and rigid, but able to allow some collective conviviality. Eating in the bed was a less common practice. Finally, the significant role that television assumed in meals is highlighted. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Sharing food is one of the most remarkable acts of human in- teractions. This act produces social ties and bonding, helps to establish collective identities and transmits ideals and norms (Fischler, 2011; Sobal, 2000; Sobal & Nelson, 2003). In its literal sense, “commensality” means “eating in the same table” (Fischler, 2011). In a broader meaning, commensality can be defined as “eating food together” or, in other words, “with other people” (Sobal, 2000; Sobal & Nelson, 2003). Oliveira and Casqueiro (2008) also conceptualized it as the ritual constructed around food sharing, which involves pleasure, sociability and communication. Commensality has been structurally conceptualized as commensal units and circles. Commensal units are the groups of people who meet at a given moment and place in order to eat food together. Since eating with the family seems to be more frequent than eating with any other people, the family tends to be the major commensal unit. Inclusion and exclusion of various commensal units forms commensal circles, which are “networks of relation- ships that delineate the range of people whom individuals could, have, and do eat with” (Sobal & Nelson, 2003). Most commensal * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: fernanda.scagliusi@gmail.com (F.B. Scagliusi), patricia.rocha. pereira@gmail.com (P. da Rocha Pereira), ramirofunsain@yahoo.co.uk (R.F. Unsain), pri.sato@gmail.com (P. de Morais Sato). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Appetite journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/appet http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.03.026 0195-6663/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Appetite 103 (2016) 80e86