Real feeding frenzy

Today I am not writing about the ($)-feeding frenzy;  I am not discussing intermittent fasting either, as it is clear that the opposite trend, this of a non-stop feeding frenzy is vastly more popular. This frantic behavior is exhibited everywhere, but  it is most evident at the U.S. airports, the movie theaters, and even at our jobs.

For the past 20 years I have spent considerable time waiting for my flights at the U.S. airports. Every time I enter an airport I am shocked by the waiting lines and crowds of people in front of the restaurants. Frequently, there is not a single free table at these places. In fact, the only really long waiting lines I have seen in the U.S. are those in front of airport restaurants (OK, I admit, I have never participated in a Black Friday madness, I rather celebrate Buy Nothing Day). It almost seems that the passengers had been warned that once on the planes, they would be dangerously starved. As a result, any spare time before boarding is dedicated to accumulating more and more calories. Meanwhile, it seems that I might be the only lunatic who is crisscrossing the airport to “keep in shape”. Well, there are also other reasons not to join the gourmet orgy: I am cursed with bloating when flying, and I am reluctant to use the plane bathrooms. So, while I abstain, thousands around me are gorging and stocking up with snacks for the plane. Anyway, at least one person was happy about me being “weird”: last time I boarded a plane, the passenger next to me smiled, and said that it was great to be seated with a normal-weight person. I just nodded.

The situation in our movie theaters is also illustrative. As soon as the movie goers are inside the theater, they flock at the concession stand, and stock up with huge containers of food and drinks. The amount of food a single person gobbles down during a movie may sustain a third-world person for 2-3 days. The impression is that seeing a movie equals to an exhausting expedition to the harsh and unforgiving surroundings…of the movie salon. Clutching huge cups and bags of food, the viewers settle in the artificially created darkness, and only the tactile and olfactory senses allow the courageous people to find their nourishment and prevent the thirst/hunger-induced demise.

Finally, there have been job meetings and workshops, at which my colleagues have been offered or not offered food, and there have been very strong responses to both situations. Situation (A), this of “no food during the meeting” has elicited a strong sense of indignation and even grief. It has been discussed that one- to three-hour meetings are a substantial drain of energy (i.e., involving exertion by sitting and listening to someone else talking) and is therefore, inadmissible inhumane treatment. The second scenario (B) of “food during the meeting” is usually employed by the organizers to secure at least some attendance, and such situations turn the meetings into a lively practice of gorging on anything edible. The talk/discussion at the meeting takes on a secondary role, and it becomes irrelevant to the main activity of eating.

So, there you have it – we have turned into a nation that does not stop eating. Almost nothing can prevent us from doing it.

This one did not want to eat!