Food as functional not Recreational

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-07-2003
Food as functional not Recreational
4
Fri, 01-19-2007 - 3:45pm

Lately I have been thinking, perhaps too much, about why people gain weight. The whole yo yo diet really mades me worry about my own health and habits. I got to thinking about how we view food; how some people will look at it as a big event.

There is a great line in When Harry Met Sally when one of the characters quotes back a line to another that Restarants today are what theaters were like in the 80's...ok I am way off on the details of the quote, however the gist is that we look to food for entertainment. Adverts tell us to be a Pepper; Do the Dew; the fun you can have at McDonalds; frosted flakes are Grreeat and necessary to start your day, etc etc. There are all sorts of iconographies attached to food now that I wonder if perhaps we have forgotten that food is for function and necessity.

All these questions started stirring after I read the post to the bagel delimia; the idea that one would have to hide part of their food so they did not have to eat it is not fair. Why are we pressured to eat; why does it matter if one person decides they are not in the mood to indulge. Why does it really matter if they decide to eat a slice of pie or not? My situation was different when I lived in California, we were applauded for abstaining from the bagel and it was looked down upon if you happen to look for a second bagel for lunch. Now that I am in England, I have noticed several people flirting with their food. Seriously, I have often wondered if the guy describing his snickers flapjack as gorgeous does not want to get a room with it or something. I have heard others decscribe their curry as being lovely, again chatting it up. I don't get it.

To conclude, food is for fuel, it's something that we need. It's not something we should deprive ourselves from. It's mineral and vitamins that give us energy to live. A bagel is just a bagel; ice cream is just ice cream; and a slice of pizza is a small meal. I think that once we start giving this items an identity, they can grab ahold of us and really start to screw with us. So enjoy your feul, both don't look at it as the enemy or your friend, cuz it's just an inanimate object that you body needs to survive.

Sorry for the long rant, just wanted to get that off my chest.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-04-2003
Fri, 01-19-2007 - 4:16pm

Monetsf I see what you're saying although I'm not sure that I totally agree. I think that we do use food as entertainment, and now that I've read your comments, you are right about the word use around language.


However, I do enjoy my food experience from cooking it, to sharing it with friends and family. For me, I think the trick is not to allow myself to think that food is going to make me FEEL better or make a bad day into a good one.


I would hate to get to the point about just thinking of food as simply fuel when I get so much enjoyment from the whole experience. BUT I do have to try to change my mindset of using food as

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-18-2003
Fri, 01-19-2007 - 6:43pm

Wow...I agree with Miranda, that's a very thought provoking post either. I understand what you're saying and it would be great if more people felt that way. I don't feel that food is 'just fuel' at all. It is for sure the source by which our bodies get nurtrients, but food and it's occasions, events and all the wonderful splendor that goes along with it, has definitely becomes EVENTS for us.

I too enjoy the rituals that go along with food. Holidays, having a BBQ, or whatever the case may be ~ we center our events around food. ANd I think there may be two extremes here and a happy medium.... one of eating only because we have to to live. the second of eating way too much and way too often, simply because it's there and we can. And then where I always hope to be is in that happy medium of loving food ~ not only for the enjoyment it brings to social events, but for the nourishment it brings to my body. And combining the two to enjoy eating well for my body!

That's me...but right now, sadly...I lean toward eating too much and it hasn't even been social lately! darn!

~~ Steffy ~~
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2003
Fri, 01-19-2007 - 9:09pm

I also had to laugh at your description of the guy flirting with his flapjacks!


I feel that food is not just fuel, and I think it's OK to really LOVE food! I read somewhere recently that from the time we are born, we connect food with emotion and comfort

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sun, 01-21-2007 - 10:50am

I do tend to agree with your points Monet....food is fuel- however it also depends on what foods we're talking about! I think today's society does focus too much on food....but it's not always a negative thing. There's been so many studies in recent years- what foods are good/bad- which ones we should eat more of/less of- steer clear of. Why we eat the way we eat, etc....etc....


Educating ourselves on balanced diets is a MUST, but I think one should also enjoy what they eat too- yes, it is fuel, but I'd hate to be someone who just ate because they had to.


Thanks for making us think about what exactly food is :-)

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