Allegra McEvedy on Gluttony
Gluttony is to food what drunk is to booze: over-indulgence, to be sure, but nothing for which one should be hung out to dry.
None of the 7 Deadly Sins is currently quite so out of favour as gluttony, but that's because it is deeply misunderstood. Yes, it's about excess, but many of us lead our lives to excess anyway: too fast, too busy, too manic, too hungry. The dietary scare-mongering that dominates our 21st century news is around those people who stuff in another cream bun as they sit on the sofa for the fourth day straight: mindless calorie consumption. True gluttony knows exactly not only what it's eating but appreciates how it tastes....and wants to re-live the pleasure again and again.
A gluttonous state can be transient, called into play at an appropriate moment, like a splash-out meal, or the unexpected arrival of another dozen oysters. There is no need or call for 24 hour gluttony: that is a one way ticket to the Big O, but for the bon viveurs amongst us, gluttony is a commitment to the joys of eating, and a sign of an enthusiastic energy for pleasure.
Allegra McEvedy is a chef, broadcaster and writer with a mission to get the best food to the most people. Co-founder of the healthy fast food chain LEON, she author of four books, including the critically acclaimed Leon: Ingredients and Recipes, which reprinted three times in its first year. She is Chef-in-Residence at The Guardian, for which she writes a weekly column and last year co-presented, Economy Gastronomy, a six-part BBC2 series, co-authoring the best-selling book by the same name.
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