Godlike Food Quote

I can't resist circulating this quote, from Sean Wilsey's (author of Oh the Glory of It All) review of the book Service Included in the 18 November New York Times Book Review:

"Refinement is a form of corruption. Sharpening of the palate may well correspond to deeper deadening. Human organs of sense and experience, cut free from anything but their own pleasure, catered to so scrupulously--how can it end in anything other than a spoiled, infantilized, ever-more-demanding state?"

Chew on THAT one, Earthlings!

I think that's a terrifically provocative quote...thanks for sharing.

Too much comtemplation of a quote like that could lead the most dedicated gormand to a confessional.

Another great quote from that review. This one from Thomas Keller:

“If you want to understand commitment ... look at the American breakfast of bacon and eggs. The chicken was involved, but the pig was committed.”

I have to report that when I read that Keller quote, I remembered hearing it from a priest officiating at my friends' wedding in Galway, Ireland, about three years ago. It's probably safe to assume that the priest didn't get it from Keller, and it's unlikely that Keller ever crossed paths with this particular priest; I suspect that a little research might turn up some wiseguy of more elevated status who said it first. If anyone reading this can identify that source, please post it here.

Very provocative, but not Godlike, at least to me. Gaia-respecting cautions about depleting the earth's resources through over-consumption are eminently persuasive. But any deity I can conceive of is all for the exercise of the senses. This seems a natural outlook that insures the survival of the species. A child once told me this: "In Heaven they feast--but not every day because they don't need to."

Not surprisingly, it's apparently a common theme in sermons.

Josephine wrote:A child once told me this: "In Heaven they feast--but not every day because they don't need to."

Awesome!

Why should refining and sharpening the palate be cut free from anything but ones own pleasure? You can enthusiastically pursue new tastes or experiences without being a self-centered jerk.

germuska wrote:

Josephine wrote:A child once told me this: "In Heaven they feast--but not every day because they don't need to."

Awesome!

Why should refining and sharpening the palate be cut free from anything but ones own pleasure? You can enthusiastically pursue new tastes or experiences without being a self-centered jerk.

Amen.

Barry Foy wrote:It's probably safe to assume that the priest didn't get it from Keller, and it's unlikely that Keller ever crossed paths with this particular priest; I suspect that a little research might turn up some wiseguy of more elevated status who said it first. If anyone reading this can identify that source, please post it here.

From a cursory Googling of the quote, all sources pointed back to Fred Shero, Philadelphia Flyers coach from the 70s. At any rate, its a nice line and I find it quite amusing that a priest would use it at a wedding. I'm sure that got a few laughs and some concerned looks from the groom/pig.