Raisin d’etre

Fruits of all shapes and sizes are evolutionary products meant to be eaten. The seeds of the fruits become spread out as the animal digests and releases the seeds in their bowel movements. As animals are constantly moving, the release of seeds in new areas affords a lucky chance of growing in newer fertile lands, or if the seeds are unlikely, they might just end up in a sewage system.

Some fruits and vegetables are not meant to be eaten, but nature finds a way. The burn of spicy peppers may have been a deterrent, but it soon became a cultivated classic in human farms.

Other foods are seeds themselves that are eaten. They may have not originally been meant for digestion and was meant for passing down new plants, but again humans have used engineering and tools to harvest and eat such seeds.

Liquids, like milk, are specifically meant for consumption by the young, but cow milk has been turned into a dietary staple of many tables. It’s purpose is nourishment, but it is important beyond that of just feeding the young.

Meats, on the other hand, does not seem to suggest a ”want” to be eaten. As it is harvested through living creatures, it is unlikely meat would wish its own death.

Different foods can be seen as “wanting” to be eaten in that they were evolutionary cultivated for consumption, but whether or not food wants to be eaten like how humans wants to indulge in sensory pleasures like a beautiful dish of steamed fish or a hearty soup, is still in the air. If one believes all objects have a will and consciousness, then our next goal would be to find a way to communicate with food to interview their “wanting” to be eaten. I would be delighted to see such attempts to be posted in a weekly food digest magazine.