"At the height of the Catalan independence movement, back in October 2017, a couple of people criticized me for tweeting about restaurants and recipes when revolution was apparently about to erupt in Catalonia. Their reproaches seemed so absurd that I didn't even try to argue with them, but those indignant people planted a seed in my mind, because since then, I've wondered more than once what the point is of discussing seemingly trivial matters when the world around us is burning."
"If nature had not made us somewhat frivolous, we would be very unhappy. Precisely because it is frivolous, most of society does not hang itself. In clear contradiction to the above, I have also told myself that eating is a basic human activity, and one that is undervalued when it should receive more attention. Even so, this year's news has become so intense that it's been difficult to navigate."
Personal criticism arose for tweeting about restaurants and recipes during the 2017 Catalan independence movement, prompting reflection on the relevance of gastronomic conversation amid political upheaval. A Voltaire quote about necessary frivolity is invoked to justify attention to food. Eating is framed as a basic human activity that deserves more attention. Simultaneously, the genocide in Gaza and grotesque images of bodies and failed relief efforts underscore extreme suffering. Additional crises such as migrant persecution, erosion of human rights, the rise of the far right, and the climate emergency intensify moral unease. These converging horrors provoke a reevaluation of the place of gastronomy in fraught times.
Read at english.elpais.com
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