Nicholas van Rijn, Dominic Flandry and many of SM Stirling's characters understand the true value of
food. In
Theater Of Spies, Stirling addresses the much less humorous issue of war-time food supplies or lack thereof. This has made me focus on the physical act of eating. Years ago, when eating a meal with my family, I suddenly thought and said, "Eating's funny when you think about it: putting things inside yourself through a hole and liking it." I got a surprised laugh from my sister, because she had been doing something all her life and had heard it described for the first time, and a shocked response from my father which was as much as to say, "Certain things may very well be true but that is no excuse for saying them!"
The Venerians in Robert Heinlein's
Space Cadet and one race of Neptunians in Olaf Stapledon's
Last And First Men would no more eat in front of others than most of us would have sex in front of others. Some young Neptunians almost starve because their elders are too embarrassed to tell them the facts of food. Each child must find his/her way into a private eating cubicle and deduce what it is for.
Discussing food, we have referenced:
Anderson's Technic History;
Heinlein's
Juvenile Future History;
Stapledon's Last Men future history;
Stirling's current alternative history trilogy -
- and what more could we ask for?
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5 comments:
Everyone's a foodie when they're hungry all the time... 8-). It does things both psychological and physical -- for example, you notice smells a lot more.
Kaor, Paul and Mr. Stirling!
Paul: I will have to check to make sure I have Heinlein's SPACE CADET, because I found INTRIGUING the idea some races come close to regarding eating as somehow kinky or depraved. Such an attitude does not exactly encourage SURVIVAL.
Never thought of eating the way you suddenly did! It was simply a NECESSARY, often pleasurable thing to do!
Mr. Stirling: I can see how THAT would happen in wartime Germany and Austria-Hungary! Short rations and anxiety about the next meal turns everyone into foodies.
Sean
And thus makes hunger foodies of us all - to parody Hamlet.
The Eridians in "Project Hail Mary" regard eating as somewhat disgusting. Given one of the major differences between their physiology and human physiology, it is easier to see why that might be.
Kaor, Jim!
I remember that! And, while I am not a foodie a la Nicholas van Rijn, I do like eating some things!
Physiology makes it impossible for humans to have the Eridian attitude to food. E.g., new born human infants have to be nursed by their mothers.
Ad astra! Sean
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