Your Polish Ancestors Want Cake
Posted by Moose on April 22nd, 2007. Filed under: I Live to Eat.What are the social implications of being able to indulge (virtually) every whim at approximately the same time that whim enters your head?
I’m referring to food here, for you Google surfers who are unaware that my stomach and the filling thereof is really the only thing that interests me. (Those seeking “crochet image of jesus”, I’m sorry I can’t help you. Those of you who landed here via “metaphors for crazy”, please comb the archives and feel free to email me with any questions.) Anyway. I’ve been reading a book about the history of food and human civilization. Which makes me an expert, even if I’ve only read two chapters. I’m fairly confident this is the first era in which the average person could, if they just happened to feel like it on a Sunday afternoon, walk to the corner store and fetch a box of Duncan Hines’ Chocolate Devil’s Food cake mix and a tub of Betty Crocker’s creamy vanilla frosting. Just because they wanted a spot of cake.
This example is purely hypothetical, of course.
In geological terms, it wasn’t so long ago that the human species was using its teeth to tear raw flesh off large prehistoric femurs and picking fleas of their scalps for garnish. Even less time since we figured out that if you rip the bristly bits off wheat and pound it between two rocks you can make a tummy-filling paste. Today, if you’re middle class and American, you can eat virtually whatever you want whenever you want. The word “cravings” means something. If you were a pioneer living in Minnesota, circa February of 1857, and wanted an orange, you were pretty much screwed. Now, you can comb three different specialty stores for raw hazelnuts to adorn your perfect cut of pork tenderloin. And if you burn the pork (ahem), there’s a nice pizza place one block down that will have a pepperoni pie ready in under 15 minutes.
It’s pretty damn amazing if you think about it. I don’t seem to have a conclusion about the social implications of this whim-granting grocery store phenomena except to say: This is an awesome time to be a middle-class American who wants some chocolate cake.
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April 23rd, 2007 at 11:35 am
Every time I go to the giant 24-hour Shaws I also find myself very, very impressed by the sheer quantity and variety of food I have at my disposal. I remind myself that there are probably people in some parts of the world who have never seen this much food all in the same place before. And then I buy lots of delicious and wholly unnecessary things just because I can. Yum.
April 23rd, 2007 at 1:41 pm
you live in the city!
I don’t. And when its hunting season (and i dont hunt) I cant even get a bite to eat after work because everything closes at 300pm
I miss the city, chinese food at 300am, being able to ride my bike on lit raods, not worring about bears having me for a late night treat!
Ohhhhh the city
April 26th, 2007 at 5:39 am
Interstate commerce, I salute thee! Now I’m off to find breakfast. Your posts always make me hungry.