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 by hard work and, in fact, they also elevated food to the rank of a deity, giving them warmth, energy and strength.
During the development of civilization, people learned to grow their own food, which led to the sad consequences of our time: the cult of food has penetrated our entire consciousness so much that we think not 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 become an enemy of humanity, carrying disease and death. The cult of food is the executioner of modern society. The executioner is ruthless and steadfast.
The passions of the past subsided
Hunger has been a faithful companion of mankind for many centuries. Hisa powerful relative is fear, which has never ceased to exist. The hunger of this generation has been satisfied (not counting the children in Africa, of course), but the fear of starvation remains, which is why the ancient instinct tells us to eat as much as possible, even though food is now a very affordable life resource. In this article, we will try to listen to the casual words of the hero of the book "The Golden Calf" Ostap Bender: "Do not make a cult out of food!". It is worth remembering that the Soviet times are described in the work, and this is important. After all, these are the post-war years that pushed people to create a cult of food.
What is this?
Every cult is building your faith around some things or ideologies. Maybe a religious cult, a cult of work, a cult of unity, a cult of the family… But most of all we are concerned about the cult of food. After all, she 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 food a cult. Their whole being is overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings associated with eating food. This is especially noticeable in the family - people eat together, talk about food, constantly think about what to cook next time, they cannot deny themselves an extra snack, etc. according to the inclined sectarians of the “league of eaters”.
The worst thing is to stumble upon an "ardent believer". Soeven your mother can be a person, trying to feed her a third bowl of soup or another portion of home-made dumplings, which she, “not sparing herself”, prepared for your arrival. For such people, the concept of love and community is expressed through the joint eating of food or food prepared by them for you. Next to them, it's scary to say the word "diet", not like refusing to eat another portion of an already hated dish.
If, for example, you are visiting (friends, for a moment, we choose ourselves), this does not mean that you are obliged to eat every bite offered to you. Although, of course, it is difficult with such people, because they can take a refusal as a sign of disrespect.
But the worst thing is to live with such a person under the same roof. Those who connect their lives with those whose world revolves around food are unlucky. Believe me, there are a lot of quarrels on this basis, especially when a not quite quick girl comes across a picky husband with manic food addictions. The following article will outline how to get rid of the cult of food in your own family.
Benevolent firmness towards the cook
Fight the cult is not worth it - 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 just great and specify your statement with facts (praise the stuffing in dumplings, the beautiful decoration of the salad, etc.).d.). If the family has a cult of food, the refrigerator is probably full of food, and one of the family members invariably disappears in the kitchen, preparing another masterpiece. But if it “doesn’t fit you anymore”, just say that you can’t handle all the yummy offered, but as you would like.
Learning to reject the cult of food without scandal
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 a myriad of food, as always, praise the efforts of the cook, but explain your reluctance to eat by the fact that you cannot 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 find shelter in your modest stomach.
"Don't make a cult out of food" or be "little one"
Suffice it to say at a party that you feel bad after eating a lot 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.
The main thing in a family is not to criticize, praise and argue. It is especially important to praise relatives or friends for understanding and never return to this topic.
The family will definitely understand you if they see your respectful attitude.
Be honest with yourself
To really get rid of the cult, you need to really want not to make a cult out of 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 yourself. It is especially important to stop looking for the guilty in your environment. It is not necessary to eat everything that is offered to you, because you have your own head on your shoulders! So be prepared to pay for your gluttony yourself.
If you have embarked on the path of correction, never tell your loved ones that you are doing everything only "for the sake of the figure." After all, in their opinion, you change them for your figure, which can be called the highest degree of selfishness!
Feeling good
Instead of useless debate about the dangers of overeating, just share with your loved ones how overeating affects you. Feeling good is a delicate thing. Overeating, we feel like clumsy barrels with a heaviness in the stomach. A hearty meal leaves us low on energy and strength, so we immediately want to lie down.
Tell your loved ones how you feel after heavy meals. Tell them honestly and frankly: “I feel really bad when I eat a lot!” Such a sincere confession will simply disarm a generous host.
Important
You can't mention your illnesses. It only sets you up for negative thoughts.
You need to bend your own line for yourself and your children. One day they will either repeat yourmistakes or success, it all depends on you. Who knows, maybe one day you and your family will become followers of a new cult - the cult of a he althy lifestyle?
The cult of food in Russia is different from the "food religion" in other countries. Asian traditions seem to be of particular interest to us. 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. Finally, I would like to talk about the "strangeness" of the Eastern countries, putting food on the pedestal of their lives. These facts will interest you and your family.
Chinese reality
For the Chinese, food is not just a vital necessity. For these people, it is something more. Food helps them express their greatest sympathies, feasts become a place for discussing business issues. Asian food is a way of self-healing.
No important meeting, no serious event is complete without a meal.
Chinese people love to eat well and varied. And they know how and love to cook at home. The cult of food in China is based on the idea that a rich table and excessive treats to a guest are signs of we alth and status.
It has always been like this in a populous country. This tradition goes back centuries. If you look at the ancient Chinese character for "family", you can see that it includes a picture of a pig under a 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 "to eat vinegar." If someone is messing around, it sounds like “going for soy sauce.”
But like any cult, the Chinese food religion has its downsides. Residents 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 tasty, the Chinese are sure that these products have healing and magical properties..
Faith in the exceptional he alth of certain products in some provinces of the country encourages people to eat dog and cat meat. Dog flayers provide animal meat to specialized taverns. But as time moves on, the famous Guanxi Dog Meat Festival is now under heavy criticism from progressive youth.
Koreans' true love
Travelers note one funny fact: when they visit Korea, they hear about food everywhere. Even a Korean greeting would sound like this in our language: “How did you have lunch?” or “Have you had lunch yet?” The fact is that for Koreans, the topic of food is fundamental.
The mentality of the inhabitants of this country revolves around eating food. It is not at all surprising that you can be sympathetically asked 10 times a day: “What did you eat?” It's okay there. After all, food for them is a way to show their love and care. For our people, even with Soviet training, it would be too much.
It's funny, but if you ask a Korean what he did on the weekend, he will certainly answer: “I ate” or “I was at a party, they served such a dish…”
An important part of Korean life is lunch, which falls strictly at 12 noon. For them, this meal is akin to prayer - absolutely everyone performs it strictly and without objection (even if they don’t really want to eat). As in China, the conversation here is almost always on the topic of cooking. The cult of food in Korea can be traced everywhere - not a single event, official or unofficial, is complete without discussing the taste of a particular dish. In general, the British are about the weather, and the Koreans are about dinner.
Have you already had lunch?
If, of course, you were lucky not to be born in an Asian country, then it will be much easier for you not to make a cult out of food. Just for someone, food is the whole universe. And for someone - a way to maintain vitality. Who is right and who is wrong is up to you. In the end, each person should live the way he likes. And if you love food with all your heart, then you should not refuse it. But if you suffer from the cult of food in the family, this is a different story. Don't eat just because you really want to please someone. However, this rule does not apply to China and Korea - they will consider it a deadly insult there, so be careful.
