We do it every day. Sometimes all day; sometimes hardly at all. Sometimes for survival, but other times as a distinctive display of art, culture and community.

There is no doubt about it; food is no longer just fuel.

Deb Loewen, the artistic director of Wild Space, crafted the company’s latest production, “Delicious,” around the ideology that we are what we eat. They’ll be collaborating with Braise Restaurant to create a unique show that throws food into dance – literally.

Food will be prepared on stage as dancers eat, throw and give out food in a comically theatrical but poignantly tasty manner.

Jennifer Goetzinger, a former Wild Space dancer, is a caterer and shares Loewen’s love for cooking. After choreographing a dance where pasta was cooked onstage (and then given out to the audience), Loewen came up with the idea to fuse Goetzinger’s catering business and her passion for food into one artistically messy showcase.

“Scent is not in the theater very often. Food makes a mess; it makes things complicated and there’s timing problems,” Loewen said. “It’s a fascinating idea.”

“Delicious” does not have an intermission or blackouts but is a 70-minute panorama with weaving transitions. In spite of the dance’s delightfully quirky nature, the show includes some darker social commentary about the way humans have associated and created memories with food throughout history.

Loewen watched a documentary about European castles and their kitchens prior to developing “Delicious.” The documentary went through time and talked about how human history has revolved around the evolution of how we find and consume food.

“Is everything delicious? No. We don’t equate a dining experience with that,” Loewen said. “But it makes you think.”

One part of the dance touches on the vast economic differences between the impoverished and elite social classes. In one segment, a dancer becomes utterly ravenous until she is finally thrown a pork chop. Placed in juxtaposition is a spoken quote from an actual restaurant that offers a 43-course meal, intended to show the disparity between socio-economic classes.

It pushes you to think about what foods you chose to ingest and how often you are able to do so.

“When you make a choice about what you’re eating, you’re expressing very clear values,” Loewen said. “They’re personal and interior values, but when they’re shared in the community, they’re understood in different ways.”

The show integrates audio elements as well, like interviews and clips from chefs including Julia Child.

While multimedia and videos are becoming more popular in modern dance, Loewen very specifically did not want advanced technology included in the show.

“To make this piece, I needed to shut down senses to attend to other things. Adding a visual would interfere with other elements,” Loewen said. “It’s such a body sensation. Watching TV isn’t.”

Finding time to make and enjoy a full meal is tedious and sometimes taxing. Living in such a hectic, fast-paced society takes away from life’s simple pleasures. Loewen says she always lights a candle when she eats meals – even if she’s only eating frozen pizza standing up – because it reminds her that meals are times to slow down.

“(The candles) are a signal to shift my attention and savor my food,” Loewen said.

She wants to bring a sense of wonder into eating and highlight cooking’s intricate nature through “Delicious.”

“(The show) is poignant. It’s happy. The show highlights a birthright that is often taken for granted,” Loewen said.