My dear friend in fifth grade, whose name I no longer remember, proposed the deep philosophical question to me “Do you live to eat or eat to live?”
I never thought of it before; eating was just a natural thing to do, and luckily I never had to worry about eating to live. It’s just something we did three times a day, with frequent snacks in between, depending on mood or what happened to pass my way. Not much that passed my way passed me by, so I pass on that question.
Passing by a kitchen cabinet, reaching in and grabbing a cookie, piece of dried fruit or handful of mixed salted nuts was normal and not thought about. Or grabbing a tablespoon of peanut butter and eat it all by itself: bread or not, depending on your level of hunger or time frame.
Never a thought to calorie count or vitamin intake. No thoughts of fats, hydrogenated oils or chemical additives.
No fears about whether skirt buttons would be button-able the next morning.
Eating was just a fun thing to do; no deep thoughts were ever involved in the process.
But our society has now created a monster. Some people won’t eat a single morsel of food without checking its ingredients, names of preservatives or pedigree of additives. They need to know the documentation and derivation belonging to every edible before them.
When I think about my diet back in the 50s I am shocked that I ever:
- Grew to a normal height
- Am able to function in polite society
- Have no recognizable physical malformations.
If I knew then what I know now about nutrition I would have eaten different but far less enjoyable meals.
I might never have feasted on the fabulously sweet snacks of cotton candy that were a signature of state fairs. I might have turned my back on those glorious barbecued hot dogs with mustard and sauerkraut that defined summer picnics, and I might not have swilled all those sugary, icy drinks that made summer heat bearable.
And I haven’t even started to describe all the amazing meals that came along with winter and cold weather. But you might not approve, so let’s just leave the subject to your imagination and fill in the blanks with your own wintery treats!
You cannot unlearn what you already know. Sometimes I wish that I didn’t know as much as I do, because life was much more pleasant when I chose what I was in the mood to eat and not what foods have the highest levels of Calcium, or Vitamin B, or are the lowest in Carbs or Cholesterol.
So Happy Valentine’s Day, and enjoy those Chocolates; but remember that the dark chocolate is better for you if the cocoa content is at least 72 percent!
Just sayin…
MorristownMemos 
Comments on: "EATING CAN BE COMPLICATED" (22)
Hi Fredrick,
I think you have found the answer, and you could become a wealthy man with it. All you have to do is figure out HOW to learn learn not to like food. Hypnosis? I once heard a story of a woman who was hypnotized to think that chocolate tasted like tobacco. I may be too suggestible, but I have lost the passion for chocolate. It’s OK once in a while, but doesn’t have the draw that it once did.
Good luck in your quest to improve your health!
Oh, so right! I am on the horns of a medical edict right now, which compels me to lose around 90lbs on pain of having to buy extra aeroplane seats or face extinction in the fat boys’ crematorium. No dark chocs for me! Dieting has got better, though. I’ve been doing it all my life, so I can vouch for the improvements. You just have to stop enjoying food anymore, or (in my case) cooking it.
Those were the days my friend! The days of cotton candy, potato chips, and fried chicken like only my mom could make have made me the person I am today…a person who likes to explore the world and doesn’t care about fancy foods.
Fancy food means nothing to me. Give me that old comfort food of my early days…
Your observations are so true. It’s becoming more and more difficult to even go out to dinner with friends. Each person seems to have a very specific diet of “dos and don’ts” which mostly amuses me. For all of the talk that goes into it I wonder why so many are seriously overweight. I have a friend coming over tomorrow and when I mentioned lunch she told me she was eating “clean” and that she was eating a specialized diet. I told her that we eat “clean” at our house, too. She is free to bring her own food, however. I find it all quite amusing. 🙂
You must be a kinder person than I am if you find those ideas amusing. I find them irritating.
Remember Reader’s Digest?I once read a cute saying,”Diet in Quiet!” I think the same goes for eating. Just eat what you like and don’t advertise, because most of us don’t care what anyone else eats…
Long ago, the age-old question of human existence (Why Are We Here?) was answered for me. It was right after my first bite of chocolate. Yes, there’s also “do good for your fellow man”, “honor the Lord thy God”, and “leave the world a better place than you found it”, but mostly, it’s to eat chocolate.
What a wonderful interpretation of the world’s important issues, Al. I think we may be on the same wave length!
I remain largely in blissful ignorance – I actually dislike sweet stuff, don’t much care for chocolate, can give or take most dairy products; but cannot resist a good fry-up or hot dog.
You’re lucky, Derrick; your wife is a wonderful cook, according to your blogs!
She is. 🙂
Can’t remember having much choice in my younger days Ronnie, it was what was put in front of you, then my army days gave me choices, so on reflection I can only assume someone out their was serving me up meals that were beneficial, I agree with quiall , preservatives might have had something to do with it in those days.
So what you’re saying is that you are well preserved. We’ve all made it to now, so at least we didn’t do anything so terribly damaging. Either that or it doesn’t matter as much as experts try to make us believe!
Ronnie, I live to eat to live to eat………, and it’s not really that complex or complicated. You just move the food from the plate to your mouth repeatedly until there’s no room for any more. 😁🎉🎂😁
Great attitude, Paul. Just enjoy everything in good health!
Hahaha. I still think all those preservatives are what allow us to live longer! I’m just say’n
I rather think you are right, Pam!
I, too, am a child of the ’40s and ’50s. Hard to believe I’m still here. The Wonder white bread alone should have killed me. Well, now I am a walking testimony to big pharma. Still healthy after all these years. Happy Valentine’s Day.
John, you certainly seem healthy to me, and I am so happy that you are; good bloggers are hard to find!
Hahahahha. Thanks, Ronnie.
You don’t have to ask twice!
Ronnie
I was holding my breath!
I thought you were going to leave out chocolate but you acknowledged the need for chocolate, but not just for a special day.
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY let’s break out the chocolate(dark of course)
Harvey