Glenn's blog

Food extremist

One who feels that the enjoyment of food is more important than any pain or suffering caused by the production of that food.

Food is a touchy subject. Eating and the making of food (cooking, farming, gardening, etc.) play such a central and emotional role in our lives.

For some, the enjoyment of food becomes a central and almost fetishistic part of life. Eating and the preparation of food become more important than any other part of life. These people say things like "whatever we do to animals is ok, as long as we eat them" or "it's my right to eat whatever I want".

They skew reality to make food more important than sustenance. It becomes art, a reason to live, performance, an absolute core of experience. They push food – which has some of these aspects – to a complete extreme of experience.

Just as an alcoholic comes to depend on alcohol, so the food extremists come to depend on ever more novel, strange, and gluttonous eating experiences.

No amount of pain and suffering on the part of the animals involved – the animals who become the food – is a reason for them to hold back their desire for the pleasures of fat, meat, juices, and all the mixed tastes that drive them to such heights of gustatory gratification.