In all the the articles I’ve read about food addiction and in the numerous references to food addicts, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the word “gluttony” used.
It’s a simple word that means excess in eating or drinking, according to Webster, yet somehow it doesn’t fit with the other words in the food addiction lexicon.
There is an article in the current issue of The Week about Foodies and gluttony. Talk about excess! And I thought I had it bad!
Of course, there are different kinds of foodies just like there are different kinds of food addicts so I’ll keep that in mind and try not to be too judgmental.
Somehow the idea of “spending 36 hours cooking for a single dinner party” or “extolling the virtues of poached bat and roasted guinea pig” makes me feel like a food addiction is not the worst problem I could have.
There is excess and there is excess. Overeating, emotional eating, compulsive eating–they are all examples of excess, and yet they are not vulgar.
That’s an important distinction if you’re thinking about how your food addiction is affecting your life and how you feel about yourself.
I believe that it comes down to who you are spiritually when you do the things you do, and that includes eating.
Somehow, gluttony seems vulgar and food addiction does not.
Go figure.