Food and Pleasure

[Cassia]

I was watching our bunny rabbit eating his salad. He really seems to look forward to meals and enjoys them a lot. I started wondering why eating is so pleasurable to us. I remember watching primary schoolmates as they ate lunch (yeah, I am strange) and many were bobbing their torsos back and forth or kicking their legs as they worked on that PB&J sandwich. Sure the senses of smell and taste warn us of potentially toxic and sickening meals, but why would the process need to go way beyond that? Stomach cramps remind us that it is time to eat and that should be enough. I usually wait for my stomach to remind me to eat instead of eating on some fixed schedule. Just the thought of food at that point can get the mouth watering. I started wondering if sharing meals with family and friends eventually trained our brain that the senses of smell and taste are associated with pleasure and to go ahead and release the hormones. Also isn't is just like entropy to use our behaviors during times of scarcity and turn them harmful in times of plenty?

[Sal1981]

Evolution probably wired every living thing to associate consuming food, whatever it might be, with pleasure. Those who were either indifferent to food or found it distasteful would be selected against in nature.

[Baruch]

Food vs sex.  Extremes are illustrative.  Sex between housecats.  The male cat has to rape the female cat.  The female cat won't ovulate unless she is raped.  Raped in the sense the cat's penis is barbed ;-(  The female cat allows this because she is in a periodic altered emotional state called "in heat".  The first time she doesn't know this will be painful.  Sex between spiders.  The female spider has to decapitate the male spider.  The spider can't ejaculate unless he is decapitated.  Again, some sort of biochemical process (emotion) causes the male spider to approach the female spider (he doesn't know he is going to die).  Analogy?  People eating chili peppers ;-)

Food being pleasurable is a feedback loop, when functional, in a resource scarce environment, the animal survives but doesn't get fat (excepting bears etc who do go thru binges to survive hibernation).  Dis-functionally, humans have anorexia/bulimia.

Normally for humans, sex is pleasurable.  The connection … the strange relationship between women and chocolate.  Neurotransmitters?  Also the source of addiction.

[SGOS]

I've been thinking about this lately, because I've recently come off of an ice cream binge.  I can binge on a lot of unnecessary foods, like potato chips without getting any particular rush.  It's binging for the sake of binging.  Ice cream is different.  When I eat ice cream, every spoonful is exciting and gratifying, while I find myself asking, "How could anything be this good?"  I'm currently off the ice cream wagon, at least for awhile, because it is obviously unhealthy in such large quantities.  Some things are extraordinarily good to eat, like Pizza.  I don't know why.  I buy a large combo from my local pizzeria and take it home.  I eat two slices and then quickly break it into two slice helpings and freeze them.  My hunger is satisfied with two slices, and I'm good for the rest of the night, but I could easily eat the whole pizza just because it's just so enjoyable, but then I'd be up half the night with indigestion.

[Baruch]

Can't keep any carbs around!  On the other hand, for seniors, we have a change in metabolism and taste buds that is diagnostic.  My mother increasingly ate salt and sugar as she neared her end.  And because of poor nutrition, her body wasted away (that and chain smoking didn't help).

[Cassia]

I don't know what Italians do the make their ice cream so fantastic. I had a simple scoop of vanilla in Venice while overlooking the Grand Canal, just listening to folk musicians while people-watching as the setting sun danced on the waves. The combination was unforgettable. I did manage to make a very good batch of homemade Bulgarian yogurt last night.

[Baruch]

From your icon, I would assume Transylvanian yogurt ;-)

[Cassia]

From your icon, I would assume Transylvanian yogurt ;-)

Did some research and yeah I do have Romanian ancestry according to Ellis Island records and I do live in a Victorian house in the wood, protected by dozens of grotesques. Someday I may pay for a proper DNA analysis but I hesitate.

[Mike Cl]

I've been thinking about this lately, because I've recently come off of an ice cream binge.  I can binge on a lot of unnecessary foods, like potato chips without getting any particular rush.  It's binging for the sake of binging.  Ice cream is different.  When I eat ice cream, every spoonful is exciting and gratifying, while I find myself asking, "How could anything be this good?"  I'm currently off the ice cream wagon, at least for awhile, because it is obviously unhealthy in such large quantities.  Some things are extraordinarily good to eat, like Pizza.  I don't know why.  I buy a large combo from my local pizzeria and take it home.  I eat two slices and then quickly break it into two slice helpings and freeze them.  My hunger is satisfied with two slices, and I'm good for the rest of the night, but I could easily eat the whole pizza just because it's just so enjoyable, but then I'd be up half the night with indigestion.

ICE CREAM!!! If we lived in the same household, we'd need two freezers--one for your ice cream and one for yours.  My current favs are cookie dough, mint chip, vanilla bean, rocky road,--there is no really bad ice cream, just some are better than others.  Do you have a fav???

[Mike Cl]

Oh, and I love potato chips--my fav is just plain, original chips, then barbecue.  But like ice cream, there are no really bad chips, just some better than others.   

[SGOS]

Do you have a fav???

I think Cookies and Cream would be the one I reach for most often.  Cookie Dough would be near the top of the list, and in the category of Tracks, Bunny Tracks comes in strong.  I was recently surprised at one of those ice cream counters with 16 or 20 different flavors to choose from.  Flavors like bubble gum don't sound good, and I've never tried it, but this counter was constantly putting out rotating flavors, probably based on what the delivery truck had too much of.  But one night, none of my favorites were there so I thought I would try Birthday Cake, expecting to be disappointed, but it could be a favorite.  I'd have to try it again.  I seldom see it in stores, although I vaguely remember seeing it a long time ago... I think.  There is another counter farther away that has even more flavors, which I can't imagine many people have heard of.  I can't remember the names, but one is something like Carmel Sea Salt.  I don't know what that's like.

[Baruch]

Did some research and yeah I do have Romanian ancestry according to Ellis Island records and I do live in a Victorian house in the wood, protected by dozens of grotesques. Someday I may pay for a proper DNA analysis but I hesitate.

Test for green blood?  If so, you are Vulcan.

[Mike Cl]

I think Cookies and Cream would be the one I reach for most often.  Cookie Dough would be near the top of the list, and in the category of Tracks, Bunny Tracks comes in strong.  I was recently surprised at one of those ice cream counters with 16 or 20 different flavors to choose from.  Flavors like bubble gum don't sound good, and I've never tried it, but this counter was constantly putting out rotating flavors, probably based on what the delivery truck had too much of.  But one night, none of my favorites were there so I thought I would try Birthday Cake, expecting to be disappointed, but it could be a favorite.  I'd have to try it again.  I seldom see it in stores, although I vaguely remember seeing it a long time ago... I think.  There is another counter farther away that has even more flavors, which I can't imagine many people have heard of.  I can't remember the names, but one is something like Carmel Sea Salt.  I don't know what that's like.

Bubble gum does not sound good.  Carmel Sea Salt would be worth a go.  Sherbet is decent.  Love Lime and love pineapple.  Which, for some reason made me remember Orange Julius.  Orange is good, but pineapple is to die for!  Have not had that in ages.

[Unbeliever]

Does anyone make bacon flavored ice cream? That I would love to try!

[trdsf]

Does anyone make bacon flavored ice cream? That I would love to try!

A few years ago the state fair's annual ice cream flavor was Maple Bacon.  I went back to the fair twice just to get more.