Hermeneutical Aesthetic and Writerly Excursions in Gastronomy

Abstract

The issue of food plays a prominent role in life and, by extension, literature, and it is garnering new
interest in some circles of the medical profession for a reason different from the obvious one that
food is one in a line of four life survival items. Human life is dependent on the air we breathe, the
water we drink, the sleep we have, and the food we eat, in that order of urgency. Food comes last on
the imperative scale, but it is by no means inferior to the other three life sustaining elements. Food
is not only of gastronomic importance, itis also of spiritual significance, as illustrated by the fall of
Adam and Eve in the biblical account of the advent of sin in human history. The progeny of much
literature is located in biblical narrative as is contained in the Holy Bible, therefore, food is in general
ascribed a prominent role in secular literature. The novel attempt by medical science to correlate
what people eat with sickliness or healthfulness is an interesting development because it shows that
the food choices humans make can be a matter of life and death, literally. This essay evaluates the
role of food in biblical and other narratives in relation to real life experience.