Food is our common ground, a universal experience.

The line frames food as a rare point of shared human experience—something that cuts across class, nationality, ideology, and personal difference. By calling it “common ground,” it suggests meals can function as social glue: a setting where conversation, hospitality, and mutual recognition become possible. The phrase “universal experience” also implies humility about cuisine: however refined or regional a dish may be, it ultimately answers a basic need and can invite empathy rather than status competition. In a Beardian spirit, the quote elevates cooking and eating from mere consumption to a cultural practice that builds community and can soften boundaries between strangers.