A Blog About Eating

Welcome to Chicken Fingers For The Soul, a blog about EATING!



I decided to do something I've fantasized about for a while now: take my maiden voyage out of the country. And what better way to try something new than to blindly invest thousands of dollars in it for five months? I landed in London last month, ready to hit the ground running.

During all the time I have in between, I wanted to start a blog about something I also frequently fantasize about: food. I don't want to talk about my favorite foods, or your favorite foods (though I'd love to hear what those are). I want to explore all of the reasons why we eat. 

You may be thinking, "We eat to avoid a painfully slow death, Laura!" True, but there are certainly other reasons that we mere mortals seek the eating experience. Say you have a research paper on a Russian novel due in two hours. If you're like me, chances are you haven't read the book yet. If you're really like me, then chances are you haven't purchased the book yet either. Food can feel like a quick and magical release—the second something salty, sweet, crispy, or warm touches our lips, it can feel like salvation from the outside in.

But where does the connection between food and emotions even come from?  I'm pretty sure Tolstoy never tried a Big Mac, which is a greater tragedy than even he could write. Could a part of the reason be the constant influx of food messages we're receiving?

It seems to me that I'm in a pretty lucky position, coming from the US to the UK. Having spent my whole life in the States, I know that McDonald's tells me "I'm Lovin' It," Burger King sways me by telling me I can "have it my way," and Subway, a restaurant full of processed and salted meats, claims I can "eat fresh." Are food advertisements so resonating (and inaccurate) in the UK, too?

Since I like to consider the US the rebellious teenaged offspring of the UK, perhaps the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

...Let the binge (of information) begin!