Tuesday, May 4, 2010

What is it about food (...and sex)??

Food has been on our minds since the dawn of time. We consume it, discuss it, go to war over it, kill and get killed for it, fall in love with it, and because of it. Food brings out the best and worst of mankind. If I am hungry, I am admittedly intolerable by others. I'm sure I'm not the only one, and readers across the globe can sympathize. On the other hand, when I'm having a finger-licking delicious meal, I am on top of the world, and a sense of incomparable bliss surrounds me. It's like the perfect drug -- and I NEED my fix!

So, what is it exactly that makes food so intoxicating? Something that holds such a spell on us must be greater than, and far beyond our understanding. The natural need for food is embedded in us, the same way that the need for sexual interaction is. This goes way back to our pre-historic days, and brings us closer to the animal kingdom we belong to. This phenomenon is common among all living creatures -- we MUST eat. We MUST procreate. Man doesn't eat = man dies. Man doesn't have sex = man is extinct; or – Rhinoceros doesn’t eat = Rhinoceros dies. Rhino… You get the idea. Us humans, we were smarter than the rhino. We decided to perfect food, as well as sex. Au revoir, hunter-gatherer cuisine! Sayonara, missionary position! Humans took on the mission to enjoy the two instinctual habits to the fullest. The innate human pleasure derived from eating, and from sex for that matter, come from the same cognitive place. If these culinary, or sexual experiences were intolerable, I sure as hell would not want to engage in them. However, the fact that both are extremely pleasurable gives birth to these undying desires.

In order to not get too sidetracked, and as a sacrifice of potential traffic through this blog, I will leave the bedtime tales for a different occasion and place. This will be the platform discussing everything that is food; from the most decadent of culinary masterpieces, all the way through to the basics. Why we eat what we eat; how to make it at home; where to go for the best [fill in the blank]; history/philosophy/anthropology/anatomy/math/physics/chemistry of food. It’s all fair game and all on a fun, approachable level.
A foodie extravaganza for the senses! By the people, for the people!

Please feel free to share your honest opinions, contribute as much as you want and spread the word!

2 comments:

  1. Great job Lee! I look forward to reading more.

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  2. Lee, what a wonderful idea!!!! You write as well as your Dad (if not better). Can't wait for more.
    Love you,
    Mom

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