Is food just fuel?

[AlmondMilk]

I had an interesting conversation with a friend....like months ago :|

He said that he didn't know why people are so picky with food. He just sees it as fuel.

I see food as fuel, too, but I think there's an art to cooking. I'd like to try different dishes whenever I go to a restaurant I've already been to. I don't know. Food is just so good.

 

[gaystorm]

No no no. Food does help us to live, but food is meant to be enjoyed as well. You dont go out and say, I will eat this that I do not like because it will fuel me up. Cooks are artist, trying new things. Truly think about the taste of things.

 

[Taz]

All I can say is your friend must lead a boring life. food is such a basic and universal pleasure.

 

[ashonfire]

I fucking love food!

I'm not really into the modern fetishisation of food, where people relish opportunities to be snobbish and pedantic about it.

But I do love it. The experience of coupling good food with good company is one of life's simplest and finest pleasures.

I'd say it is essentially fuel. We spend so much time ingesting it, it seems a shame not to enjoy it.

 

[Aymotin]

Food is a number of things

1. It´s a fuel. And like any fuel, you should be picky with the quality otherwise you fuck your engine up.
2. It´s either the best medicine or the slowest poison.
3. It´s pure joy if prepared good.
4. It´s an art and lots of fun to create, serve and watch friends enjoy it with pleasure

So I love cooking, I love to eat, I am quite picky with what I eat since I also love my body.

 

[freefall]

If food were meant to be fuels, I don't see why there are various colours, textures, aromas, and tastes of food. It's definitely more than that.

 

[jaysizzles]

Eat to live, not live to eat.

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the occasional indulgence as well believe that food in an important part of social and family life, but for the most part I'm quite conscious of what I put into my body on a day to day basis. I've researched and learned over the years that a vast majority of health issues I've had can easily be controlled through my diet and exercise. I enjoy and include a wide variety of flavorful and colorful foods...just not much in the way of junk and empty calories. Eating good "fuel" doesn't have to exclude the enjoyments we often associate with eating.

 

[G-Lexington]

If you see food as fuel, you'll presumably eat a lot healthier. I talked to a Buddhist monk once who said he considered food to be medicine. "Enough to maintain health, not so much that it makes you sicker than you would've been without it."

Lex

 

[cynicus]

Yes....I'm on a all bean diet.

You must have a hell of a bill for "Beano."

 

[jackoroe]

It can be both. There are times I need to throw down quickly and cleanly. A protein shake with wild blueberries, bananas and flax seed is fuel. Other times, it's a finely aged steak seared to perfection with an ice cold Martini. That's enjoyment!

 

[Swellegant]

Some people are just wired differently... the taste-smell thing isn't connected to the pleasure centers of the brain, and they get no particular thrill out of eating. Others are wired to get so much pleasure out of eating that they can think of little else.

I wish I was able to view food as merely fuel, but alas, I love food more almost more than orgasms... mostly because I can eat all day, where I can only manage one, or at most two orgasms a day.

 

[Beachguyj]

It is just fuel biologically speaking, you need food to be able to stay alive, but it's more than that. It's pleasurable too.

 

[trawler69]

I was given the senses to enjoy my fuel. It is no more expensive or difficult to make pleasurable fuel therefore I do so.

 

[BFizzle]

This thread is so fat.

 

[rareboy]

Your friend is an idiot.

 

[zoltanspawn]

People often eat for reasons they consider more important than either sustenance or pleasure.

They also eat politically, or to maintain some kind of religious discipline. They may eat because they view food as medicine, as Lex mentioned. Many, many people view food as an important marker of their identity; they are vegetarians, are vegans or are gluten-free.

I find people who don't appreciate the aesthetics of food lacking. But unlike others who prattle on about themselves via their unique diets, I don't find them irritating.

 

[looseliam]

It is fuel. I enjoy the taste of food, don't get me wrong, but I must almost force myself to eat at scheduled times as I find the act of cooking, eating tiresome.

Yes....I'm on a all bean diet.

*squeals with horror*

 

[PreTTy PeTe]

oh the days before they were unhealthy,

 

[chrisw87]

Food IS just fuel in its basic form. However I like to see it that biology makes sense;

Food should appeal to ALL of our senses. Many people have shown that our enjoyment of food is subject to all senses. The look, the texture, the scent and taste (and sometimes the sounds it makes) all combine to make up the enjoyment that we can get from a good food experience.

This WOULD be logical, because it means that if we enjoy it, we are going to seek it out and focus on it. If fueling your body was from licking moss, and only licking moss, how much would you enjoy re-fueling your body? without focusing on it or enjoying it you would more than likely end up emaciated and struggling to survive.

I guess it could be almost related to things like sexual attraction. Most of the time you will subconsciously seek out someone who would logically mix well with your genetics to produce strong offspring. Not saying it works that much in the current world, but the basic idea is there.

Finally, to back up my point that it is NOT just fuel, but is related to the fuel idea.

WITHOUT concious choices to eat it fill your body with the nutritious things it requires to survive, would you ONLY eat a flavorless gruel that has everything you need to live.

Or a meal that might be slightly less than optimal for well rounded sustenance, but has flavor, color and scent that makes your mouth water.

 

[Musik2400]

Yes food is fuel. We gain physical advantages from eating food. It is not only fuel however, it also provides emotional, social, and psychological comfort/advantages. There's more to it than just fueling your body.