ABSTRACT
The pace of life in modern cities has significantly changed during recent decades. The increasing amount of working hours, new technological advances and many other factors have played an important role in this change. People are gradually coming closer and adopting new technologies that promise to leverage their quality of life, while the physical communication between them is tending to decline. Family members tend to be attracted to their personal screens (Liz & Revoir, 2010; Stelter, 2009) and the virtual environment of social media, a behaviour that enhances family alienation and is also supported by other aspects of the new way of life in cities. Another important aspect regarding the quality of life in the cities is the changes
that have been recorded during recent years in the nutrition habits of their residents. A meal has always been considered not only as vital calorie intake, but also as a social event. Even though it is impossible to set a general rule for all the developed countries of the world, a common tendency is readily recognizable. In the past, families used to gather around the table for lunch and dinner, while at the same time they had the opportunity to express their feelings and share their problems. Meals were made by the mother as a token of love and the ingredients were mostly grown by the family. This assured a respect and a deep knowledge of the identity of each meal. Nowadays, however, family members tend to have fewer meals together, especially on weekdays, the meals are often pre-cooked and heated to be served, and most of the time the origins of ingredients are unknown to them. However, annual growth rates of 16 per cent in Europe and 11 per cent in the United States in the sale of organic food and drinks may indicate a change towards a healthier behaviour with respect to our nutrition (De Borja et al., 2010). With these facts regarding the family and communal alienation and the signifi-
cant change in our nutrition habits in mind, a question is inevitably raised: is it actually possible to improve the interpersonal relationships in the urban family by recalling the old nutrition habits and, if it is, how can innovative technologies be used in order to achieve this goal?
