Food is Joy

Take a moment and think back to some of the happiest memories of your life, I'm willing to bet that food was a big part of those memories you're having.

It's no surprise really, considering how big of a role food plays with us. The average human eats at least three times a day and, once you factor in snacking, typically a whole lot more. We are constantly eating, which means that it becomes highly likely that a happy moment in time will have food being apart of it.

And of course, there is the effect that food has on the human body. Firstly, having food means feeling full, and it's hard to be in a grouchy mood when you're full. The body's now preoccupied with utilizing all those tasty nutrients, and isn't so quick to fire of heaps of adrenaline to fuel the ornery tendencies. So, the more full you are, the happier you're gonna be (of course, there is a point of diminishing returns where being too full has a negative effect. I'm sure we've all been there.)

Food also comes in the form of climax. You see, we always want to feel quenched, so when we're hungry, we build up a great deal of subconscious anticipation. You know that agony you feel before Thanksgiving dinner, when you can smell everything cooking and just know you're gonna eat soon, but you still have to wait for it to be done? That's the stuff right there. And with anticipation comes climax, a joyous realization with that first bite of food that tells both the boy and mind, "Yay! I'm eating!"

And what good is a climax without a pleasurable outcome? A good meal creates a firing of endorphins in the brain, and endorphins are a wondrous thing indeed. You see, endorphins are like naturally produced opium, that are designed to help ease pain, relax the body, and make one feel pretty darn good. In this case, the pain of hunger is reduced, making way for the intake of sensation through seeing, smelling, and swallowing. Basically, you eat something good, and then your body makes you happy. How's that for math?

Now incorporate a bunch of people who are equally happy, eating the same good food with each other, and you have the makings for a very pleasant memory.

What's interesting is despite how common this process is, it takes different foodstuffs to create it. Your aunt's potato salad may be the nectar of the gods to you, but to me it's might just be potato salad. This isn't just because because we're different people with different electrical impulses and taste buds, it's also because our experiences are different. I ate grew up eating in a completely different way from you, and what I consider amazing food will be different as a result.

So, does that mean that a Big Mac can be a cultural milestone? Absolutely! Anything we eat can cause those same feelings of giddiness, and eventually nostalgia, but do remember that such milestones can and always do change. And like a great many things, food is only as good as how often you have it.

Returning to your aunt's potato salad, I'm going to guess half of what made it so good was the fact that she only made it for you during special occasions. It was one of those things that you looked forward to during celebrations and holidays. Now, had you eaten that same potato salad every single day, it wouldn't be so memorable anymore. As a youngster growing up, I lived in the country far detached from the urban lifestyle. This means that getting to have a Happy Meal was something I only did once in a big while. This made the event special, and boy those little cheeseburgers were some of the most magical things I had ever eaten.

Now? Not so much. Having gotten my fair share of McDonald's in my later years, I've completely burned myself out on whatever magic they may have held for me. They just don't taste as good as when I used to eat them sparingly. And also, I have since eaten way better burgers.

That's the other thing, the milestone shifts exponentially when the eats you're getting now are far better than what you were getting before. Suddenly going back doesn't make you as happy as it used to, now it's sort of a disappointment.

Sad as this sounds, it isn't a bad thing. It just means that you've opened a few more culinary doors and like what you've found. It also means that we have something to shoot for. Consider the people in your life, your friends, spouses or loved ones, perhaps a family of your own. Wouldn't it be something to create a milestone or two for their lives? Something in their hearts that will always remember you, and the happy time you gave them? It's something I shoot for every time I step foot into the kitchen, and wish for you to do the same.