Remember my buffet of books?
Over the weekend I finished Leon Kass's The Hungry Soul: Eating and the Perfection of our Nature. I'd highly recommend this as a first Kass book to read because - 1) it's his shortest 2) food is almost always a naturally enjoyable topic 3) it gives a sampling of the way Kass does philosophy without getting too far into the weeds, as happens in the book of his that I'm now reading - Toward a More Natural Science.
The way that humans eat is, indeed, pretty striking when compared with any other member of the animal kingdom. And Kass proposes that the way we eat - our customs, taste preferences, manners, preparation, etc - can tell us much about our humanity. We enjoy good conversation with our food. We take time to prepare it (bread, for example, which is often synonymous with food). We bring the food to our mouths, rather than bringing our faces down to it. All of these things were fascinating as Kass brought them to my attention.
I also like how he hits hard on the necessity and benefit of good manners and conversation skills. "Far from being an escape from the serious demands of life, witty and convivial dining - a species of high play - pays tribute to the meaningfulness of human life and its possibilities for community, freedom, and nobility - all in the act of sustaining life through nourishment. Further, the detachment needed for wit and laughter is akin to that needed for seeking truth, and the free play of the mind in conversation often provides food for deeper thought."
And: "Not surprisingly, incivility, insensitivity, and ingratitude learned at the family table can infect all other aspects of one's life. Conversely, good habits and thoughtful attitudes regarding food and eating will have far-reaching benefits. Self-restraint and self-command, consideration for others, politeness, fairness, and the art of friendly conversation, enrich and ennoble all of human life...A blessing offered over the meal still fosters a fitting attitude toward the world, who gracious bounty is available to us and not because we merit it..."
Food for thought. Har. Well, someone was going to say it at some point, anyway. Dr. Kass makes great points.
Dr. Kass does delve briefly into "sanctified eating," that is, laws of kashrut. There is not much in that chapter that was new or surprising to me (though, again, I didn't disagree with any of it). That's probably because I had read these two articles at some point, and there is much in between the three discussions that is very similar. The second one even quotes Kass's book extensively, and approvingly.
More links? Okay.
Terry Teachout wrote an opera? Who's going to write the review?
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