Waiter, My Food is Cold BP 4-14-14

      Thomas C. Foster's writings on eating are incredibly thought-provoking. Although essays on eating do not seem very intellectual, they are much deeper than it may sound. The first part of the writing, Nice to Eat With You: Acts of Communion, explains how humans have used meals and communal food gatherings to a very high level of importance for thousands of years. One thing that came to my mind when reading this was the idea that relationships are the things most commonly discussed and/or changed during these meals. Meals with people who all have good relationships with each other tend to be much more fun and at ease, (think of lunch with your friends at school). While meals within groups of weak relationships are much more "cold," and often seem more formal, (family meals while members of the family may be in an argument). "If a well-run meal or snack portends for good things and community and understanding, then the failed meal stands as a bad sign," (Foster 3). Similar to this, think about how a poor meal at a restaurant instantly can turn the happiest person into an angry monster. Another very applicable example of Foster's ideas is during times of death and grief. "So we notice... that in fact we share something. The thing we share is our death," (Foster 4). Why do funerals always have so much food? Perhaps because people need food to help communicate with each other and cope with the devastation that all are feeling. Everyone dies, and everyone eats. These two certainties of life make the connections around them very strong. That is why communion through good is so apparent in times of grief as well as happiness.
    The other part of Foster's work is called Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires. This section describes the mystical creatures of vampires as well as their traits that consume many people in the real world. In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa's life is constantly sucked away by his abusive fathers words and actions. However, Gregor holds strong and does not succumb to his father and never once acts out against his loved ones. "Meanwhile, his victims become like him and begin to seek out their own victims," (Foster 6). Gregor's will-power is quite remarkable based on how much his father truly took out of him. I do not believe that Gregor was simply to far gone to change to vampirsim himself, but rather his good heart helped his brain stay out of trouble. A great example of vampirism in today's world is the media. "Using other people to get what we want," (Foster 8). Media these days can be incredibly degrading and untrue, only to gain popularity and in the long run, money. Money is the modern day vampires blood. The vampires will do anything, illegal or unethical, just to make more cash. This constant cycle of lying and consuming gluttonously can only break down a person's soul. In conclusion, Communion and Vampirism are two forms of eating that can have effects on all aspects of life and relationships.