Food can be a focal thing in Borgmann's sense when it becomes the centering orientation that holds a number of meaning-giving activities together, providing coherence and purpose to our lives. Focal practices integrate people in bonds of community, if not friendship, because they require people to take some trouble in their interactions. Such practices accommodate tight schedules that make the culture of the table difficult, but if done well, eating can become a focal practice even for people whose work lives leave them without the time or energy to prepare a good meal every day. Science is useful in helping us see how other people can be harmed, and in this way, science is important for environmental ethics and policy.