Eating properly seems like a Herculean task. Never before have we been so exposed to such a wide food supply or to the full range of health, political, religious, and social stances on the foods we eat and those we avoid.
Eating is an everyday act and yet it has become a matter of political proportions and dimensions that, while always intrinsic to the act of eating, have never before been as publicly discussed as they are today.
The hygienist discourse on food—that is, the one that links what we eat with our health and its consequences—is one of the most dominant in our times. Everywhere, knowledgeable voices—and many not so knowledgeable—arise about what we should eat to achieve optimal health.
But how do we distinguish the wise from the charlatans? Let us remember that a few decades ago, margarine was recommended over butter due to its saturated fat content. Later, it was revealed that trans fats in margarine are highly toxic to the body. In September 2014, Time dedicated its main cover to a powerful message: “Eat Butter. Scientists labeled butter the enemy. They were wrong,” even though scientific literature supporting the benefits of saturated fats like butter, when consumed in moderation, had been published for decades.
To eat every day, ideally, one would find the time to do so at home and more cheaply, or, if we belong to that privileged and increasingly small sector of the Mexican population with few economic problems regarding food, we face a hyper-abundance and availability of foods reputed to have beneficial effects on the body. If, in addition to eating, there are social, religious, or personal motivations, then one must choose organic, vegan, Kosher, gluten-free foods, or the latest trendy food among hipsters, foodies, and other social tribes—where the new trend seems to be spirulina algae.
Above all, eating is one of life’s great pleasures, not only for a misunderstood hedonistic reason, but for the general well-being of the person. While these dimensions have always been intrinsically present in the act of eating, today more than ever they are exposed in the public arena. Talking about food in public is no longer seen as a trivial act.
How can we bring all these dimensions together in a dinner dish? Perhaps by returning to our origins. This would mean bringing charm back to what we eat, enjoying going to the market, experimenting with new dishes, trying to recreate those family recipes forgotten in a drawer, or simply eating with pleasant company those combinations of dishes prepared at home, or truly savoring, smelling, and tasting what we put in our mouths. Perhaps the key lies in listening again to our bodies, our culture, our traditions and popular wisdom, and our vital need to belong to a social and cultural group that shares and enjoys what it eats.
— This article was originally published in Spanish by Liliana Martínez Lomelí. Translation generated with AI from the original text.