It is worth recognizing the fact that at all times there was a cult of food that wandered from generation to generation, borrowing new aspects. In ancient times, people obtained food with hard work, and in fact they also elevated food to the rank of a deity, giving them heat, energy and strength.
During the development of civilization, people learned to grow food on their own, which led to the sad consequences of our time: the cult of food has penetrated our entire consciousness so much that we are not thinking about how to find food for survival, but how to eat less so as not to gain extra pounds. Once food was considered the source of life, but now it has turned into an enemy of humanity, carrying diseases and death. The cult of food is the executioner of modern society. The executioner is ruthless and steadfast.
The subsiding passions of the past
Hunger is a faithful companion of mankind for many centuries. His powerful relative is fear, which never ceased to exist. The hunger of this generation has been satisfied (not counting children in Africa, of course), but the fear of death from hunger has remained, which is why the ancient instinct tells us to eat as much as possible, although food is now a completely accessible life resource. In this article we will try to listen to the casual words of the hero of the book "Golden Calf" by Ostap Bender: "Do not make a cult of food!" It is worth remembering that the times in the work are described by the Soviet, and this is important. After all, these are the post-war years, which pushed people to create a cult of food.
What it is?
Every cult is a building of one’s faith around some things or ideologies. There may be a religious cult, a cult of work, a cult of unity, a cult of the family … But we are most concerned about the cult of food. After all, it is an integral part of our existence, claiming to be the main character. The choice is always ours.
Food as an idea of unity
Food is the center of being around which all life revolves. But there are people who do not know how to stop making a cult of food. Their whole being is overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings associated with eating. This is especially noticeable in the family - people eat together, talk about food, constantly think about what to cook next time, they can’t deny themselves an extra snack, etc. on the sloping sectarians of the “League of Eaters”.
The worst thing is to stumble upon an "ardent convict." Such a person may even be your mother, who is trying to feed a third bowl of soup or another portion of home-made dumplings, which she, "not sparing herself, " was preparing for your arrival. For such people, the concept of love and community is expressed through joint eating of food or food prepared by them for you. Next to them, it’s scary to say the word “diet”, not to deny the use of another portion of an already hated dish.
If, for example, you are visiting (friends, for a minute, we choose ourselves), then this does not mean that you are obliged to eat every piece offered to you. Although, of course, it is difficult with such people, because they can accept rejection as a sign of disrespect.
But the worst thing is to live with such a person under one roof. Unlucky for those who connect their lives with those whose world revolves around food. Believe me, a lot of quarrels are formed on this soil, especially when a not-so-quick girl comes across a picky husband with manic food addictions. The rest of the article will explain how to get rid of the cult of food in one's own family.
Friendly firmness regarding the cook
You should not fight the cult - you will lose and lose your loved ones!
It is best to learn to praise people for their efforts. For example, if your mother has prepared a whole mountain of goodies, but at the moment you are not hungry or in a hurry somewhere, be sure to first appreciate the efforts of the cook. Tell her that a couple of dishes are simply magnificent and concretize your statement with facts (praise the filling in dumplings, the beautiful design of the salad, etc.). If there is a cult of food in the family, the refrigerator is probably breaking from dishes, and one of the family members invariably disappears in the kitchen, preparing another masterpiece. But if you are "no longer fit in", just say that you are not able to cope with all the proposed yummy, but as you would like.
Learning to reject the cult of food without scandals
Let's talk about goodwill. In this case, this implies the absence of any ultimatums.
If you are on a diet, and they try to feed you with a myriad of food, as always, praise the efforts of the cook, but explain your unwillingness to eat by the fact that you can not eat food in such quantities.
It is especially worth emphasizing that you love and respect the culinary traditions of this family, and also consider it an honor to sit at their table. But don’t be one of those who “eat a lot, ” so even culinary masterpieces cannot take refuge in your humble stomach.
“Don't make a cult of food” or be “little kid”
It is enough to say at a party that you feel bad after eating a large amount of food, and you will be left alone. The main thing is not to use such words as “lose weight”, “fat” “calories”, “cholesterol” and the like in a conversation.
Firmness and goodwill are the key to the life you wanted, but at the same time a chance not to lose loved ones, acquaintances, etc.
In the family, the main thing is not to criticize, praise and not argue. It is especially important to praise relatives or friends for understanding and not to return to this topic.
The family will certainly understand you if it sees your respectful attitude.
Be honest with yourself
To really get rid of a cult, you really need to choose not to make a cult from food. Perhaps, after analysis, you will find in yourself the same avid food addict who finds it difficult to change his lifestyle.
In this case, hardness will need to be applied to oneself. It is especially important to stop looking for the guilty in your environment. Not necessarily there is everything that you are offered, because you have your own head on your shoulders! Therefore, be prepared to pay for your gluttony yourself.
If you have embarked on a path of correction, never tell your loved ones that you do everything only “for the sake of the figure”. Indeed, in their opinion, you change them to your figure, which can be called the highest degree of egoism!
Feeling well
Instead of a useless debate about the dangers of overeating, just share with your loved ones how you are affected by excessive eating. Well-being is a subtle thing. Pereyev, we feel like clumsy barrels with heaviness in the stomach. A hearty lunch leads us to a decline in strength and energy, so we immediately want to lie down.
Tell loved ones about your well-being after a hearty meal. Tell them honestly and frankly: “I feel very bad when I eat a lot!” Such frank confession will simply disarm a generous master.
Important!
You can not mention your illness. It only tunes in negative thoughts.
You need to bend your line for yourself and your children. Once they either repeat your mistakes or success, it all depends on you. Who knows, maybe one day you and your family will become adherents of a new cult - the cult of a healthy lifestyle?
The cult of food in Russia is different from the "food religion" of other countries. Especially interesting to us are Asian traditions. If someone was familiar with a Korean or Chinese, then he probably noticed the reverent attitude of these people to their diet and nutrition in general. In the end, I would like to talk about the "oddities" of the eastern countries, putting food on the podium of their lives. These facts will interest you and your family.
Chinese realities
For the Chinese, food is not an easy necessity. For these people, it is something more. Food helps them to express the greatest sympathy, feasts become a place for discussion of business issues. Asian food is a way of self-medication.
Not a single important meeting, not a single serious event is complete without a meal.
The Chinese love to eat well and varied. And they know how and love to cook at home. The food cult in China is based on the idea that a rich table and excessive guest treats are signs of wealth and status.
In a populous country, this has always been so. This tradition goes back centuries. If you look at the ancient Chinese character "family", you can see that it includes an image of a pig under the roof. Such a picture denotes a symbol of family unity for the New Year (pork was cooked only for this holiday, and chicken was consumed 4-5 times a year).
Many words include some mention of food. Even the word "jealous" in Chinese means "eat vinegar." If someone is messing around, it sounds like "going for soy sauce."
But, like any cult, the Chinese food religion has its negative consequences. The inhabitants of the eastern country consider the consumption of expensive and rare products, for example, shark fins, sea cucumbers, crocodile meat, dolphins, etc. to be the norm. And although not everything on this list is delicious, the Chinese are confident that these products have healing and magical properties.
Belief in the exceptional usefulness of certain foods in several provinces of the country encourages people to eat dog and cat meat. Dog flies provide animal meat to specialized taverns. But since time does not stand still, the famous dog meat festival in Guangxi is now being severely criticized by progressive youth.
The true love of Koreans
Travelers note one funny fact: when they visit Korea, they hear about food everywhere. Even a Korean greeting would sound in our language like: “How did you have lunch?” or "Have you already had lunch?" The fact is that for Koreans, the food theme is fundamental.
The mentality of the inhabitants of this country revolves around eating. It is not surprising that you can be sympathetically asked 10 times a day: “What did you eat?” There it is in the order of things. After all, food for them is a way to show their love and care. For our people, even with Soviet hardening, this would be too much.
It's funny, but if you ask the Korean what he did on the weekend, he will certainly answer: “Eat” or “I was at the party, they served such a dish …”
An important part of Korean life is lunch, which is strictly at 12 noon. For them, this meal is akin to prayer - absolutely everything is fulfilled strictly and without objection (even if you don’t really want to eat). As in China, conversations here are almost always conducted on the topic of cooking. The food cult in Korea can be traced everywhere - not a single event, official or unofficial, can do without discussing the taste of a particular dish. In general, the British - about the weather, and the Koreans - about dinner.
