Get off the treadmill: the art of living well in the age of plenty

[rustwood]

I just read this Mark Greif article:  https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/sep/23/how-to-live-well-in-age-of-plenty

 

He has much to say about food and foodies so I was surprised that I couldn't find any comments about it here.  The lead in is "Cancel your gym membership and come off the Paleo diet. Your basic human needs are all catered for, and life is too short to spend in the pursuit of longevity."  He goes on to say many things, including, "The foodie wades out and swims in possibility. And then, surprisingly, many a foodie will deliberately restrict his range. He sets rules or laws for himself that make the quest for food harder and the thinking more complex."  It is likely true that some people are being misled into contorting their foodways such that they are unjustifiably missing out on enjoying aspects of their life; however, I wonder if Greif believes everyone who is passionate about good food and cooking is committing some sort of error.  I can't put my finger on anything in the text to clearly illustrate it, but his overall tone makes it difficult for me to divorce myself from that notion.

 

With that said, I very much enjoyed reading this article.  I agree that many people seem to spend inordinate amounts of time worrying about food and health related issues that may not have any basis in fact.  Even when they have some basis, the amount of time. effort, and energy invested in them by some may be grossly out of proportion relative to their potential impact on our lives.  I have to assume Greif realizes this is not an entirely new concept.  Obviously many have expressed some variation of the idea that they would rather live an enjoyable life than spend a longer life denying themselves of every indulgence.  Clearly the 'trick' is to find a reasonable balance.  Greif highlights ways that current culture and media may be pushing or pulling us out of balance with respect to food and the pursuit of health.  I may not agree with every point he makes, but the thoughts he provokes seem well worth consideration.

 

 

 

Edited October 24, 2016 by rustwood (log)