I have been exposed to the “darker” side of food preparation through popular media and these considerations do manifest when a dish is considered. Although these looming thoughts do not generally prohibit me from eating, they are there, looming in the back of my brain somewhere. Therefore, I also think that somewhere between the “eat to live” folks and the “live to eat” camp there should be more factor include which might complicate the 2D approach and require the use of advanced, next generation, 3D modeling food capabilities; now it’s quantity, quality (gourmet-ness), and quality (non-carcinogen, non-genetic mutated, and the ethical treatment of animals) that will define the next generation of polar food opposites.
Food
Response
There are many different perceptions that people have towards their food. On one end of the spectrum "people live to eat" and they place a high value on the quality, taste, presentation, and the environmental factors that enhance or detract from their experience of their favorite meals. However, people on the other side of the spectrum, take more of an "eat to live" approach to their personal nutrition. People in this camp are focused more on the quantity, convenience, and potentially some of the health consequences of their meals. In my opinion, these two perspectives represent the poles of the spectrum in which there may be a variety of points that exist in between these two extremes. One article written by David Sedaris, "Tasteless," exemplifies something I believe is close to one end of the spectrum while another article written by Anthony Bourdain, "Food is Good," is in close proximity to the other end of the spectrum.
David Sedaris would be positioned in the "live to eat" camp in my opinion; though, this only came out of a transition period in which he shed his "eat to live" childhood perspective (Bourdain, N.d.). This transition, which was recalled by him in the article, occurred during a trip to France by his family when he was approximately nine years old. Before the transition, he was a typical American child who would shun trying new foods as if there was a clear and present danger that the food contained hazardous nuclear waste. However, something changed from within him and this was born out of spite for his parents as he recalls. The feeling of spite led him to adopt a more liberal philosophy towards gourmet foods -- "Brains? Stinky, runny chesses that smelled like dead man's feet? Horsemeat? Sweetbreads? Bring it on!! (p. 67)" he exclaimed as he acquired a new appreciation for the value of food. Not only was it now valuable, it was something more; magical was a word used a description. Yet, certainly not everyone makes such a transition.
David Sedaris provides an example of someone who remains "transition-less" and retains their childhood tastelessness in his article (appropriately named) "Tasteless." He describes himself as a "shoveller, a quantity man, and I like to keep going until I feel sick" and his rituals at meals are described as "It's how a prisoner might eat, one arm maneuvering the fork and the other encircling the plate like a fence: head lowered close to my food, eyes darting this way and that: even if I don't particularly like it, it's mine, God damn it. (Sedaris, 2007)"
Even after quitting smoking long enough for his taste buds to reanimate, he never gained an appreciation for food. Some people are like this. They just never transition into a stage that holds food appreciation as anything of a priority in their lives; as something they would actually organize their lives around.
These two individuals are as close to representative of the opposite ends of the food spectrum as can be found in literature, albeit it is interesting that they both shared similar perspectives briefly before Sedaris transitioned in to a food connoisseur. In my opinion, I believe this is evident because of the subjective nature of food appreciation. It seems people develop an appreciation for food as something of an acquired skill, that there is an educational component to food appreciation, or for lack of a better phrase, an acquired taste develops for gourmet food. It seems that no one is born as a "live to eat" person; rather this is a behavior that must be learned.
Personally, I feel I fall somewhere between the two poles, with one provision. I do enjoy fine foods, but I do not enjoy anything too extreme nor do I ever find myself organizing my schedule around opportunities to eat. However, the one provision I experience personally that was not mentioned in either of the articles, I do find myself becoming increasingly concerned with the nutritional aspects of food as well as the manner in which it is prepared in regard to the nutritional content of the food itself (I like to watch my diet to some extent).
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