post-modern hobbies #39: pretending to eat

Postmodern society has reached a point where people no longer eat to sustain themselves, they eat for the sheer gustatory pleasure of it. No longer do we strive to eat enough, we do everything in our power to make sure we don't eat too much. 

Those well-adjusted to the post-modern life will be well aware of the rarefied art form it has become, and they will also be in the know about the difference between food, and pseudo-food.


Food is the stuff that your parents' generation lived on - it belongs squarely (?) in the food pyramid that you find on cereal boxes and brochures at doctor's clinics. Appropriate adjectives include hearty, sustaining, filling, and nourishing - obviously things which do not fare well in post-modern society.

Pseudo-food on the other hand closely resembles food, but on closer inspection (and digestion) one finds that it is a mere mockery - essentially it is food which no longer serves its original function, to nourish and sustain. Instead, pseudo-food is a refined concoction of flavours on a plate, which means you can enjoy the social ritual of eating it without  having to worry about the over-nourishment rife through our pudgy society.

Examples include:

Fig 1. Green tea

Fig 2. Massive plates with tiny amounts of food (NO SECONDS)

Fig 3. black coffee

Fig 4. Salads

Fig 5. Diet Coke

Fig 5. Fruit

Fig 7. Hor d'oeuvres