In general terms, eating (formally, ingestion) is the process of consuming nutrition, i.e. food, for the purpose of providing for the nutritional needs of an animal, particularly their energy requirements and to grow. All animals must eat other organisms in order to survive: carnivores eat other animals, herbivores eat plants, and omnivores consume a mixture of both. While the process of eating varies from species to species, in humans eating is performed by placing food in the mouth, chewing and then swallowing it. Eaten food is then digested. Manners are an important aspect of social eating in almost all human societies. Eating practices thumb|right|250px|The usual accessories for everyday eating in Western cultures: [[Table (furniture)|table, chair and tableware.]] Many homes have a separate kitchen room or outside (in the tropics) kitchen area devoted to preparation of meals and food, and man