In "All Quiet on the Western Front," one major theme that remains constant throughout the story is that of starvation. The amount of pain, anxiety, loneliness, and sheer terror these soldiers have to suffer throughout the war is incredible. The soldiers' helplessness is a result of both their young age and their utter unpreparedness to enter the graphic world of war. They are barely able to ward off death, knowing all the time their world could shatter around them at any moment; that reality haunts them twenty-four hours a day without ceasing. It seems that in such times-when stress is spiked to astronomically high levels; when men are killed and blood and guts are spewing everywhere one turns; when a man can barely hear himself think over the never-ending drones, whines, and blasts of explosive devices drown out everything else- food would be the last thing on a young soldier's mind.

But food is all these soldiers can think about. The very opening scene of the book, in fact, takes place at the military base's kitchen, where the cook doesn't realize he has prepared meals for tongues that will never taste again. In class, we talked about how this scene sets up a rather domestic picture of life on the front line; the diction in this first scene is almost like young boys enjoying a picnic: "We are satisfied and at peace. Each man has another mess-tin full for the evening; and, what is more, there is a double ration of sausage and bread...The cook...is begging us to eat...He does not see how he can empty his stew-pot in time for coffee" (Remarque, 1). At the beginning of the story, therefore, the author has not nearly established these men as three-dimensional characters. Because he chooses to make the reader first see these soldiers in a relaxed state of camaraderie, Remarque establishes an important message: When soldiers are full, content, and at ease, they are exactly like any other group of friends; virtually indistinguishable from their civilian counterparts who might socialize at more conventional locations like bars.

However, when the illusion of safety and security is shattered, it becomes very clear that soldiers do not merely enjoy food, but will risk their lives to scavenge it. Consider a very different group meal scene near the end of the book that starts out remarkably like the first one. The soldiers are in an evacuated village and have procured themselves a feast. A couple of men play piano and sing while the others heartily prepare the meal. Suddenly, the house is shelled heavily. Everyone launches into action, grabbing the dishes and making a run for it. They somehow manage to reunite and resume the meal as though nothing has happened. Even though in the gap between these events they have experienced more death, destruction and suffering than ever before, the group of soldiers is still able to become human again once they have food in their stomachs.

These two events from the book show the importance of just how central sharing a meal with someone is to friendship. Even though each man knows he could die out on the battlefield, their troubles seem manageable, even when they can still hear the bombs falling outside and are well aware that the war is still around them.

Chronic hunger can cause serious physiological issues that affect not just soldiers in wartime, but households worldwide today:

http://medanth.wikispaces.com/Chronic+Hunger+(linked+to+food+security)