Our Complex Relationship with Food
Seeking a More Balanced Approach To Eating Well
Recently I have been feeding a wounded pigeon on my balcony. As one of her legs is wounded, the bird can land and walk on only one leg. When she grows tired of her one-legged endeavor, she props up against the ball of a feathered body — on her injured side — and avidly continues to eat what I serve her.
Other fat and fluffy pigeons compound her situation further. When they notice food on my balcony, they immediately arrive and peck the poor girl away (yes, birds have a chilling cruelty to them).
The way my pigeon lives daily has been beyond fascinating for me. She devours all the seeds and bread crumbs I give her. Her neck enlarges as she gobbles so much she can hardly swallow. She is full of the desire to live, which is invariably present in her bright orange eyes. The fact that she is disabled does not change that.
That leads me to think about us humans.
We always eat. Instinctively — sometimes even compulsively. Food sustains our lives. Food is also a motivation for life and makes our national cultures. Hunger is a powerful driving…
