The Islamic Etiquette at the time of Meals

Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned:

During meals, issues of a serious and intricate nature should not be discussed. Rather, light-hearted topics and things that do not require serious thought should be spoken about. The reason for this is that serious and intricate discussions require deep thought and thus can cause one to lose his appetite. As a result, one will not be able to enjoy his meal. At the time of meals, one’s attention should be directed towards the food. While on the dastarkhaan, if someone has to speak of serious matters, then I do not pay attention to it, as listening to such a discussion prevents me from enjoying the food and causes me to lose my appetite. (Malfoozaat Husnul Azeez pg.71)