Thoughts For Food

I have a lot of thoughts for food. In fact, most of my thoughts center on food as I am always planning for and thinking about my next feeding. While I readily admit that my brain may be cluttered with thoughts of food more than most, I will go out on a limb and say that because you’re reading this, your thoughts are occupied with thoughts for food, as well.

My relationship with food is akin to my relationship with wine. I love wine and have visited dozens of wineries around the world. I go through the rituals of sniffing and swirling, but I just drink wine that I like, not what I am supposed to like. I watch the Food Network, I own gazillion cookbooks, I download recipes nearly every day and write several of my own. Even with all of studying and experimentation, I still fall back on the foods that I love, even if they are frowned upon. I freely admit that I love hot dogs and fast food burgers and fries; no self-respecting foodie would ever admit that.

No, I am definitely not a foodie. In fact, I have never truly embraced the term as it is ill-defined and overused. I believe that we are all foodies in the sense that we all have a personal relationship with food and our own idiosyncrasies about what we will eat to when we will eat to where we will eat. Food can be a highly sensitive and emotional topic, but reflecting on our own quirks and observations of others’ can be thought-provoking and a source of some much light-hearted humor, as well.

So, without any culinary training or expertise in nutrition, why do my thoughts about food matter? Frankly, it’s because I am human, just like you. Food is the common thread that connects us as humans and is at the core of our existence. As humans, our relationship with food defines us culturally, emotionally, and socially, and distinguishes us from the animal kingdom which looks at food solely as a means for nutrition and sustenance. For example, we humans are the only species that actually cooks our food and base our social interactions on food. Animals don’t say, “Hey, I have a new wildebeest I’d like to try. Come on over for lunch!” Even when we are fasting for religious, dietary, or medical reasons, food is still on our mind as we carefully plan the ritualistic breaking of fast. There is simply no escaping our thoughts for food.

I hope you enjoy my musings and that they inspire you to reflect on your own thoughts for food!