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Vanechka's avatar

It reminded me Odysseus’s visit to the lotophagi island. Inhabitant of this island were eating a flowers of lotus tree and then slept peacefully in apathy. After you eat it, you forget your home and loved ones and there’s no way back because you stop caring. Odysseus, however, didn’t take the drug and was the only sane person left. He saw what lotus did to his men and forced them to the ships to leave the island.

Great piece, Tom. Cheers!

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Worth Watson's avatar

I was thinking of and delighted to see the nutritious food analogy. I work on "reintroducing" fresh, wild native fruits to adults and youth and it is an uphill battle. One major danger is that if you stay on potato chips (or binge Netflix) too much your old taste buds (and synapses) atrophy and rejuvenation is tough. The mind, and yes the tongue, miss the old dopamine/high fructose corn syrup rush and have to be reconditioned to the "slow worthiness" of a meaningful satiety. Moreover, if youth never experience satiety, they may spend their lives blindly looking for it but not knowing what they yearn for-and as such angst emerges. I lament that you ask most American elementary school kids what an "apple" should taste like they ruefully describe the processed "green apple candy flavor" that their tongue has been hijacked by and they have binged upon. It is wrongfully viewed as "artsy/elitist/hipster"-ish to hope that young taste buds could one day see beyond the horizon to a locally produced apple, tree ripened from a produce stand that has real taste and substance. Yet again though, the produce stands are going the way of Blockbuster video. Immensely enjoyed the essay, if for no other reason to know "we" are not alone, as Sebastian hinted in your comment of the week.

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