Food is as necessary as water for survival. Perhaps that is why it is so often used as a metaphor for life. Yet we say, “Man cannot live by bread alone.” Given its fundamental nature, food is often juxtaposed with lofty ideals. Presumably, we could starve for our ideals given the right circumstances.
We all have associations and memories (as Proust famously observed upon biting that madeleine) attached to taste and smell. These associations tie us to a place, a moment in time; they even evoke a face long gone. (My grandmother, early mornings with cocoa, oatmeal with cream and brown sugar.)
In a time of abundance, we can take food for granted. There is so much of it and in such variety. We’re a culture that worries about obesity and overeating, with diabetes on the rise and other ills. An entire industry exists to undo the effects of overeating. There is a vast literature, both popular and scientific, devoted to these issues. Food can come to be seen as the enemy. Eating disorders are not the subject here. These issues have been addressed many times over. Were the disorders easily amenable to treatment, solutions would have been found long ago.
Continue reading “Musings: Food for Thought”
