"I cannot believe that there exists a single coherent human being who will not confess, at least to himself, that once or twice he has stuffed himself to the bursting point, on anything from quail financiere to flapjacks, for no other reason than the beastlike satisfaction of his belly."
Fischer later exposites about why there is shame tied with gluttony, that important people no longer stuff themselves in public, and I found that ironic considering she wrote "Alphabet for Gourmets" at a time when the average woman was a size 12. Today a state of gluttony might best be characterized by a cafeteria table of high school girls, drinking Diet Coke or water, critiquing their peers for consuming solids.
Anyway ...
Don't you think there are different stages and circumstances of gluttony? Like special-occasion gluttony, when you eat a lot because the circumstance won't be repeated (eating on vacation at a fine restaurant). Wedding or anniversary or party gluttony.
Mood gluttony (one day a month, I feed my PMS and feel much better, quality of meal notwithstanding).
Love gluttony. Continuing a meal with someone because you don't want the date to end, and eating too much as a result.
I even had a case of jingoistic gluttony. I traveled with my youth group to Mexico for two weeks of mission work, of which we seemed to do little, and had no problem with the local cuisine, but we did become homesick, especially spending the Fourth of July out of the country. So when we crossed the border two weeks later and stopped at a South Texas Pizza Hut, we went crazy for American food. Greasy, salty, all-American Pizza Hut pizza, served by English=speaking workers. I still remember pillaging a cheese pizza. Isn't that awful?
Any gluttony experiences you'd like to share?
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8 comments:
I almost always overeat at restaurants. The portions are fucking huge! The food must be particularly good, however, for me to truly eat way too much. Like lobster. Or the Wa. I don't do gluttony at home very often. Usually only if I allow myself to buy a pint of Haagen-Dazs, aka orgasm on a spoon.
I can consume vast quantities of food without becoming full. I usually only stuff myself to discomfort at family meals on holidays.
Oh, yum. Erin, ice cream sounds good. I used to be a sweets gorger before moving on to fatty foods. I do not know why.
Ben, who's the family chef who makes you carry on so? In my family, it's actually my brother-in-law. He's a terrific cook.
That's the beauty of Haagen-Dazs, cl: sweet and FATTY. More delicious, creamy fattiness than other so-called ice creams.
Family gatherings are usually of the everybody-brings-a-dish variety. I think the problem may be that I think I have to have a little of everything, and a lot of bread (like Erin's grandmother's rolls!).
cl, thanks for indulging my gluttony at Wa tonight. I didn't deserve it for merely keeping an eye on your very low-maintenance cat, but it was delicious and I certainly appreciate it. And even more, dear, I appreciated your fine company.
I was thinking the same thing!
I ate an exciting amount of sushi, didn't I? P for prodigious! I still feel guilty over the one morsel of Sean Connery roll I couldn't squeeze into my gullet.
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