Eating too much good food can be detrimental to your health, especially the mental health. It's about the plasticity and memory learning of the brain. Once we associate with good food, how can we go back? Unless, the incentive is strong enough to get us to say, "maybe I should cut back on this prime rib, tastes so delicious, but it's so fatty." There is one positive association that results from eating good food: enjoyment. After all, mix and match ingridients is an art form, one that is less enjoyed at family meals than at restaurant. I guess everyone likes to enjoy it more when we are paying for it. heck, we expect some form of pleasure if it ain't free. Simple experiment: drink the water from the faucet and you'll quench your thirst. But drink the water from a Evian bottle and you'll think it's the best tasting water to quench your thirst. In a molecular terms, all water are created equal, 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen. But when those atoms cost $1.29...
I digress. I have to say, enjoying food and the atmosphere is important. What it comes down to is: association and its effects.