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Consumption as Absolution


srhcb

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A recent post got me thinking about how nice it would be if we could atone for our sins by the simple expediency of eating particular foods. I've chosen to use the Seven Deadly Sins for the example of moral trangressions, along with some of my own suggestions for appropriately repentant dining:

Pride - Humble Pie

Envy - Zucchini (nobody ever wishes for more of them)

Wrath - Milktoast

Greed - Popcorn (easily shared)

Sloth - Fast Food

Gluttony - Strict Vegan Diet

Lust - Saltpetered Popcorn

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Steve, I know you were looking for wit and fun, but many people really do connect their eating habits to a desire to lead a more virtuous life.

For example, take my current signature line. It's inspired by the author's notion of Temperance in a not completely secularized response to traditional Christian Virtues. Note the primacy of the reference to food and drink.

Just as feasting is a way to celebrate and indulge, fasting or abstinence is central to attonement in just about every religious tradition familiar to me. Ascetic spirituality takes that kind of behavior to an extreme, thus the accounts of saints who live on nothing but air or the meager diets of monks, nuns, penitents, pilgrims, etc. Less committed folk can appropriate such extraordinary behavior during holidays in communal practices that mark their identities, uniting them to a group and distinguishing them from others with whom they share their lives.

Some Christians accept the Eucharistic host and drink consecrated wine in an act that fuses individual devotion and collective identity. Since so-called sinners are denied the right to take Communion, this ritual form of consumption is tied to notions of guilt and absolution even if it may be viewed as the culimination of a series of steps taken to attain attonement rather than an act of absolution. (Or so I believe. My perceptions as an outsider may be inaccurate.)

Are all forms of this kind of behavior secularized?

As children, we believed that we might be redeemed in our parents's eyes if we eat all the peas on our plate or that we can somehow undo a terrible thing we did that day if we drink all of our milk in one gulp. It's not only bullies that make you eat worms. A child may think he will redeem himself if he eats something disgusting.

Such notions of magic make us believe that if we do without carbs and refined sugar, eat brown vs. white food, forgo meat, etc., we shall be purer...and might be able to undo all the sins of our past transgressions. Diets are a form of absolution, if not as dramatic as forms of purging we view as a symptom of an illness. Carrot sticks instead of cigarettes are another. If we shop, cook and eat local, we can undo some of the harm caused by shipping and processing in the food industry over the past few decades.

Oprah Winfrey believes that you shouldn't eat after 7 P.M. This form of self-control is a corrective measure, and therefore an act of absolution.

"Viciousness in the kitchen.

The potatoes hiss." --Sylvia Plath

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Steve, I know you were looking for wit and fun, but many people really do connect their eating habits to a desire to lead a more virtuous life.

To some degree I suppose we all do, as in "You Are what you eat", ne: 60's Warbler Tiny Tim via Brillat-Savarin via The Ayurveda.

SB (will be "pasta w/beef sugo" later tonite, followed by "mini molten chocolate cake") :raz:

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A recent post got me thinking about how nice it would be if we could atone for our sins by the simple expediency of eating particular foods.  I've chosen to use the  Seven Deadly Sins for the example of moral trangressions, along with some of my own suggestions for appropriately repentant dining: 

Pride - Humble Pie

Envy - Zucchini (nobody ever wishes for more of them)

Wrath - Milktoast

Greed - Popcorn (easily shared)

Sloth - Fast Food

Gluttony - Strict Vegan Diet

Lust - Saltpetered Popcorn

I must object to the Fast Food for sloth - isn't fast food the regular diet of the sloth, not the atonement? With its drivethrough windows and convenient consumption, it is hardly as challenging as the vegan diet would be for the glutton. Perhaps instead the food for the sloth should be Red Bull or Jolt? Or instead something like a multi-component plated dessert?

The Kitchn

Nina Callaway

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I must object to the Fast Food for sloth - isn't fast food the regular diet of the sloth, not the atonement? With its drivethrough windows and convenient consumption, it is hardly as challenging as the vegan diet would be for the glutton. Perhaps instead the food for the sloth should be Red Bull or Jolt?  Or instead something like a multi-component plated dessert?

I had trouble with that one too. The original Sins contained "Sadness" rather than "Sloth". I suspect something didn't translate well, although I can see some kind of connection between the words in "unable to function due to poor attitude"?

Since an atonement is usually meant to be more of a punishment than a remedy, I thought sentencing a person to nothing but Fast Food would serve them right in the long run, even if it's the course they would have chosen for themselves anyway.

SB (as you sow .....

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Gluttony - Strict Vegan Diet

I'm probably the only person in the world who gained

weight on a diet of strict vegan salads. I'm not a vegan,

but when I had put on a little weight I made a bowl

of yummy salad, that happened to be vegan, and

stuck it in the fridge to snack on.

It was so good and I felt so virtuous eating it that

I ate industrial quantities and ballooned up more than

before.

Calories....

Milagai

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I'm probably the only person in the world who gained

weight on a diet of strict vegan salads.  I'm not a vegan,

but when I had put on a little weight I made a bowl

of yummy salad, that happened to be vegan, and

stuck it in the fridge to snack on.

It was so good and I felt so virtuous eating it that

I ate industrial quantities and ballooned up more than

before.

Calories....

Milagai

In the opposite manner, I could lose weight on an all foie gras diet!

SB (can't stand the stuff :raz: )

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I'm probably the only person in the world who gained

weight on a diet of strict vegan salads.  I'm not a vegan,

but when I had put on a little weight I made a bowl

of yummy salad, that happened to be vegan, and

stuck it in the fridge to snack on.

It was so good and I felt so virtuous eating it that

I ate industrial quantities and ballooned up more than

before.

Calories....

Milagai

In the opposite manner, I could lose weight on an all foie gras diet!

SB (can't stand the stuff :raz: )

I'm the girl who lost weight after she started baking every weekend. And I bake at least 2, usually 3, cakes and maybe a batch of cookies too, every time. Now that's a feat.

May

Totally More-ish: The New and Improved Foodblog

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^That's incredible, but that doesn't work on me.  :raz:

I just read about a 93 year old woman in India who is fasting to death. Apparently, the Jain religion sees this as a means of absolving sins. She's been fasting for over a month.

She must have been a real sinner!

Let's see now. If one month of fasting covers 93 years of sinning ....

SB :rolleyes:

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Let's see now.  If one month of fasting covers 93 years of sinning ....

SB  :rolleyes:

Hmmmm ... I can do that. :wink: Good Lord, though. At that age, her sinning might have been what kept her going!

I never really 'got' the idea of food being sinful or decadent or guilt-inducing.

I also think that if someone's consumption habits makes them feel closer to God, then they should go for it. It's when someone declares that their consumption habits make them morally superior to other humans, that I go like this: :rolleyes:

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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I never really 'got' the idea of food being sinful or decadent or guilt-inducing. 

I also think that if someone's consumption habits makes them feel closer to God, then they should go for it.  It's when someone declares that their consumption habits make them morally superior to other humans, that I go like this:  :rolleyes:

Overconsumption, or even the simple act of enjoying eating, have probably been frowned upon in the context that throughout history, and even today in so much of the world, too many people haven't had enough to eat.

At what point this becomes "sin" is debatable. A little guilt is okay if it's used in a postive manner. If it causes us to contribute to efforts to end hunger, it's good. But, if it ruins our enjoyment of eating fine food it becomes self defeating. (Here I consciously resist the urge to make comparisons to some other cause celebres :wink: )

A simple example of the positive use of guilt would be our mothers' admonitions when we were young to finish our food "because of all the children starving in Africa (or wherever)". I've updated the expression for my three year-old grandson to, "There are crack babies in Minneapolis who would be happy to eat that!" :shock:

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Hmmmm ... I can do that.  :wink:  Good Lord, though. At that age, her sinning might have been what kept her going!

I never really 'got' the idea of food being sinful or decadent or guilt-inducing. 

In the Jain woman's case, the philosophy is not that it's the food

that's sinful. It's that fasting can expiate for other sins.

OTOH, in Jain philosophy, eating food is seen as having

the potential for the death of other life forms (insect, plant,

etc. etc.).

So fasting unto death is seen as a morally superior way to go

compared to other ways. Not seen as the sin of suicide (=violence

against the self).

It's not recommended for everyone, only for those who are

spiritually advanced enough....

Milagai

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Overconsumption, or even the simple act of enjoying eating, have probably been frowned upon in the context that throughout history, and even today in so much of the world, too many people haven't had enough to eat. 

At what point this becomes "sin" is debatable.  A little guilt is okay if it's used in a postive manner.  If it causes us to contribute to efforts to end hunger, it's good.  But, if it ruins our enjoyment of eating fine food it becomes self defeating.  (Here I consciously resist the urge to make comparisons to some other cause celebres :wink:

A simple example of the positive use of guilt would be our mothers' admonitions when we were young to finish our food "because of all the children starving in Africa (or wherever)".  I've updated the expression for my three year-old grandson to, "There are crack babies in Minneapolis who would be happy to eat that!" :shock:

Used to be that wasting food was considered the sin, not simply eating it.

Does your grandson really buy that "crack babies in Minneapolis" stuff? I never believed for an instant that the kids in China were starving, but my mother kept harping on it. And since guilt is self-induced ...

Anyway, I know you're being tongue-in-cheek. Aren't you? :wink:

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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It's not recommended for everyone, only for those who are

spiritually advanced enough....

Milagai

Spiritually advanced enough to starve oneself to death? Hell, why wait until you're 93 to do it? Unless you become a Jain at that age ... Anyway, not gonna happen here. I live near too many women who are systematically starving themselves and see anorexia and bulimia (and smoking crank, in a couple of instances), as a way to go the extra mile to look good. Or, in most cases, to just look skinny.

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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Pride - Humble Pie

Envy - Zucchini (nobody ever wishes for more of them)

Wrath - Milktoast

Greed - Popcorn (easily shared)

Sloth - Fast Food

Gluttony - Strict Vegan Diet

Lust - Saltpetered Popcorn

Oops, ya forgot one:

Religiosity - Fruit from the Tree of Knowledge

//RIMSHOT!//

Thank you, thank you! I'll be here all week. Don't forget to tip the veal, and try the waitress.

:smile:

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Spiritually advanced enough to starve oneself to death?  Hell, why wait until you're 93 to do it?  Unless you become a Jain at that age ... Anyway, not gonna happen here. I live near too many women who are systematically starving themselves and see anorexia and bulimia (and smoking crank, in a couple of instances), as a way to go the extra mile to look good.  Or, in most cases, to just look skinny.

You don't have to wait until 93.

She happened to be 93.

If you're ready at any age.....

The majority of Jains live peaceful lives in the world,

they don't choose to starve themselves. It's not for

just anyone. Being Jain does not automatically mean

you starve yourself! Jain cuisine is among India's

best vegetarian cuisines.

And being spiritually prepared is not a snap overnight thing -

years of meditation, various spiritual discussions and practises, etc etc.

And that's how it's distinguished from mental afflictions / addictions etc.

It's supposed to be a very specific, conscious, deliberate practise.

It's not even in the same universe as anorexia etc. The purpose is

hardly to look physically good.

And in a society where undernutrition is often prevalent,

people have many concrete examples of what it means to starve....

It's not a romantic ideal ....

The concept of self-starvation has to be understood in terms

of the wider Jain commitment to non-violence - a very comprehensive

and detailed philosophy, it's not only about starvation, it's more

couched in terms of selflessness and generosity.

Sure, that may be incomprehensible to those who

maybe see self-actualization as exploring and fulfilling every

wish....

Every religion / culture has examples of people taking

steps that may seem extreme or incomprehensible to outsiders.

(Celibacy, vows of silence, whatever).

Doesn't mean they can be dismissed summarily.

Before you can critique it, or institute invalid comparisons,

you have to have an informed grasp of what's going on.

Milagai

Edited by Milagai (log)
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Used to be that wasting food was considered the sin, not simply eating it.

I still consider waste of any kind to be tantamount to "sin". But if you really enjoy eating foie gras, or driving a huge SUV for that matter, it's fine by me. :smile:

Does your grandson really buy that "crack babies in Minneapolis" stuff?  I never believed for an instant that the kids in China were starving, but my mother kept harping on it.  And since guilt is self-induced ...

I doubt if he can grasp an abstract concept yet, but the tone of voice in which the statement is made usually gets his attention. (a pretty good trick in itself!) He's more easily influenced by the possibility of immediate consequences, like, "If you don't want to eat your peas tonite, I will."

Anyway, I know you're being tongue-in-cheek.  Aren't you?  :wink:

I only regret I have twice as many cheeks as tongues! :laugh:

SB (or, depending on how you look at it, four times as many? :shock: )

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A simple example of the positive use of guilt would be our mothers' admonitions when we were young to finish our food "because of all the children starving in Africa (or wherever)".  I've updated the expression for my three year-old grandson to, "There are crack babies in Minneapolis who would be happy to eat that!" :shock:

Used to be that wasting food was considered the sin, not simply eating it.

Does your grandson really buy that "crack babies in Minneapolis" stuff? I never believed for an instant that the kids in China were starving, but my mother kept harping on it. And since guilt is self-induced ...

Anyway, I know you're being tongue-in-cheek. Aren't you? :wink:

1. "wasting food, not simply eating it..." More below following srhcb's response.

2. I got the "starving children in Africa" line too as a kid, and even though I did almost always clean my plate, my first thought whenever I heard this line was "So why not send it to them?"

Does this qualify me for the guillotine like what happened to Marie Antoinette when she suggested the starving peasants should eat cake?

Used to be that wasting food was considered the sin, not simply eating it.

I still consider waste of any kind to be tantamount to "sin". But if you really enjoy eating foie gras, or driving a huge SUV for that matter, it's fine by me. :smile:

I think that the latter constitutes a different kind of "waste" than the sinful variety Fabby had in mind.

Technically speaking, one is not "wasting" food by eating all the foie gras he or she cares to consume. It could be said that one is "wasting" fuel by driving a SUV (or "UAV" ["Urban Assault Vehicle"], as I've also heard them described), but that is only relative to the amount one would consume driving a hybrid or similar more fuel-efficient vehicle.

The real sin in both of these cases, if sin it is, is a form of boastfulness or vainglory--"I can afford to consume things that ordinary mortals can only dream of!" And even if it doesn't make the list of the Seven Deadlies, it is an unlovely human impulse.

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

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The real sin in both of these cases, if sin it is, is a form of boastfulness or vainglory--"I can afford to consume things that ordinary mortals can only dream of!"  And even if it doesn't make the list of the Seven Deadlies, it is an unlovely human impulse.

If the only reason a person ate, or drove, a specific product was for "boastfulness or vainglory" I would wholeheartedly agree! But if we fail to stipulate that a person might genuinely enjoy dining on exotic fare, or owning and driving a somewhat impractical vehicle, we'll ultimately be reduced by reductio ad absurdum to advocating eating nothing but crude gruel and crawling about on all fours? :blink:

SB (enjoys neither foie gras nor SUV's)

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Religiosity - Fruit from the Tree of Knowledge

//RIMSHOT!//

Perhaps?

In similar vein, I didn't reference my original post to the Ten Comandments in an attempt not to be secular, although I would love to have used the Tenth, "You shall not covet your neighbors wife....", the atonement for which would have been to eat her cooking! :sad:

SB (to say nothing of the chance to quote every schoolboy's favorite Commandment concerning "Thy neighbors ass"! :rolleyes: )

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