meal prayer?

As a non-Christian, I consider the meal prayer an odd tradition ...

I understand that Christians believe everything comes from God and thus want to thank him at every opportunity.

But theologically speaking, I'm confused as to this meal prayer:

In Genesis 3:17 there is a clear message from God to Adam (and mankind in general) that until now (in the Garden of Eden) everything was provided easily through nature (and thus God), but after the big incident, and Adam & Eve being through out of the Garden, men would have to work hard to get their food.

So yes, everything comes from God, so thanks Him. But he willfully made it hard for us to get that food, and because of this, I'm not sure it should still be considered a gift to be thankful for.

So dear Christians, can you share your opinion of what does the meal prayer means for you, and how do you reconcile it with God's actions?