Origins and Reasons

As I fed my rabbit some pizza crust this morning I thought about something my lecturer had said. Birds aren’t supposed to eat tea and coffee as the caffine isn’t good for them – gives them heart arrhythmias. He scoffed a little about pet owners wanting their pets to eat the same food they did. So it got me thinking. One of my favourite aspects of rat ownership is that my rats liked tea, horlicks, cooked breakfast – in fact, anything I was eating or drinking at any time. My rabbit and I have grown closer since she moved indoors and we discovered we had a mutual love of bbq beef flavoured crisps (seems morally wrong for a rabbit to eat cow flavoured snacks but there you go). We now share any carbohydrate food going. Even my fish have cucumber. One of my cats eat crisps and another will only drink water out of her own mug.

So yes, I have odd animals and I’m a terribly indulgent pet owner. That’s not the point here – why do humans get comfort from sharing with other beasties? When we were apes (well, more hairy anyway) did we share food as part of social bonding? We used to mutual groom and we stroke pets to bond – maybe there’s another link there. It’s a shame that rabbits, rats and cats are notoriously selfish with food so are unable to bond back in the same way. People make dog biscuits. Biscuits do not exist in the wild – they are a human food adapted for dogs – more bonding?

If this is true, then perhaps the way to bond with other cultures is through food. As I went to a girls’ grammer school and I grew up in the outskirts of London I find it easy to interact with Asians – we eat the same food. Chicken Tikka (mum’s homemade) is more common in my house than a Sunday roast. Jewish food for example I know nothing about and I feel self concious in bagel shops! And I feel at home with anyone who lists having a nice cuppa tea as a priority in life. Or maybe it’s nothing to do with the fact it’s food and more to do with feeling safe with what you know. I know Indian and Chinese cuisine, but am lost in Turkish, Greek or Thai restaurants. I won’t go to those restuarants if I don’t have to, because I don’t know what to order, because I’ve never been there. Vicious circle. Ah! The secret is takeaway! When you can order in the comfort of your own home and not be embarrassed when you order something totally stupid you can learn in safety.

Well that was todays insightful look into the origins of man and the role of food in our society. I am now required to go shopping for clothes for the ball tomorrow. Ug – I hate clothes shopping…