Day 4: The Gift of Appetite

Wish 4: To Never Lose My Appetite

When we were younger, we used to say, "Man does not live by bread alone. He also needs meat."

That's probably the difference between eating because you are hungry, and eating because you have a voracious appetite. One of them is a need. The other is a want.

I am not advocating obesity here. In fact, what I'm talking about is survival itself.

Hunger and appetite are part of the human programming. A baby would only be satisfied after a full bottle (or breast) of milk. A few hours later, her crying may signal a diaper change or the need for another bottle. Without those signals, the baby would be malnourished, or worse.

I think it is possible to be hungry, but not have an appetite. It happened to me yesterday. I felt hungry, but I still didn't feel like eating. That may be good since I'm trying to shed a few pounds before Christmas. But the muscle aches and fever that come with it are not pleasant.

I love food. So when the doctor told me today there was a viral infection somewhere in my alimentary canal, and that I should take bland food, it surprised me that I didn't feel bad. My appetite is still not back.

Without an appetite, one is not in control of his/her food choices. Just look at those bulimic young girls who need to be trained to have an appetite. I'd rather be stopping myself from taking a slice of chocolate cake than to not want cake at all.

My grandfather told me that appetite is a gift. I always thought he said that to justify his portion sizes. But one day long ago, he said he didn't feel like eating anymore, and a few weeks later he was gone.

I wish that we never have to lose our appetite. I'd love to share a lot of dinners with my parents, my siblings and my kids. I'd like to have lunches with friends and colleagues. Eating is one of the things we have in common with people around the world. And so most gatherings involve food - good food.

My mouth is watering just thinking about our holiday dinners. But for now, I just don't feel like eating. Sigh.