FEATURE
Food for though
Our famished feelings frequently influence the way we feed our faces
By Asher Fusco afusco@kansan.com
When I had a bad day growing up, I never wanted to talk about it. I just wanted to eat. Bombing a test didn't warrant discussion, it called for more pizza.The disappointment of unpopularity wasn't a feeling worth discussing, but rather a feeling worth smothering in mac and cheese.
Why do we eat what we eat, how much we eat, and when we eat? Much of what makes us munch remains a mystery, but science is slowly beginning to decode nature.
My childhood experiences are far from unusual. Eating to suit our moods is just one of the complexities of consuming. We do it in search of comfort and we do it when we feel comfortable. We do it to live and live to do it. We do it because of nature and we do it because of nurture. It's often one of life's greatest pleasures, but can become one of our biggest problems.
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November 20,2008