Expert precis 6

A country’s culinary tradition is one of the constituent elements that comprise the concept of a nation. It reflects and affirms its culture and, thus, its differences, geography, and history. Eating testifies to one’s origins. Eating creates society. Eating is a pleasure. Eating excites the senses and desires. Eating is orgasmic. “In the beginning was the word,” Saint John tells us, testifying that the idea is pre-eminent over action. No, “in the beginning was hunger.” Children learn to eat before having any idea of finiteness, a concept that will come to them when they fall from the nest. It is the mad hope that will console him/her for being so, and he/she will have to eat and drink to survive. Doing this well and with pleasure is learning to live.