Make food, or prepare a meal?

What, if any, is the difference between making food, and preparing a meal?

First of all, I'm probably the least qualified person to talk about this, as I am not a professional chef, not even an amateur chef. In fact, I'm not even a cook. I just enjoy messing around in the kitchen from time to time.

The past while I haven't really done anything exciting in the kitchen, although I have been there a bit more regularly than ususal.

What I have noticed, is that when food is just thrown together, slapped onto a plate, and pushed under the victims nose, it gets treated as, well, just food. Eat it and get done.

On the other hand, when the meal is prepared with just a little attention, such as not letting the bacon get cremated, keeping the eggs on the right side of sunny, the meal will be more enjoyable. Of course, adding a slice of tomato, a block of cheese, and a celery stick to the plate will add just that little touch to slow the feeding animals down just a bit, so they can appreciate the effort, and by eating slower, enjoy the meal more.

What I'm trying to say is that no matter what your level of expertise in the kitchen is, a few extra touches to the meal make the meal look better, and 99% of the time, if it looks better, it tastes better!