| guilt trip |
this is another proven technique that relies on the intersection of two social phenomena. first, around a table, particularly where there is alcohol, there is a sort of mob-mentality. a respected figure that says 'shouldn't she eat more' is met with a resounding 'absolutely' irrespective of anything that has transpired; even if you have wolfed massive quantites of food, everyone will comply, and even pile on the pressure. the second social component is the relative difficulty to stick to your guns immediately after a public display of contrary sentiment.
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illusion |
| kind request | inebriation | |
| shock and awe | humor | |
| respect/etiquette | conspiracy | |
| culture | body language | |
| history | morality | |
| lineage | metaphysical | |
| request for opinion | competitiveness | |
| compliments | insult | |
| bribe | nagging | |
| trade off | connection | |
| compromise | peer pressure | |
| physical char. | imperative | |
| temporal char. | threat | |
| need | duress | |
| preemptive strike | forced feeding | |
| trickery | timing | |
| chemical | the future... |
i have relatives that live in croatia, slovakia, hungary and israel and it is of utmost importance that their guests consume massive quantities of food. these hosts seem to feel personally insulted if you do not eat three, four or even five portions of the food that they are offering. initially i was critical of this forced-gluttony, but after reassessing the phenomena, i have become a connoisseur of their brilliant methodologies. my analysis of their techniques is intended to serve as the first step in the process of developing an effective counter-strategy.
although someone who eats large amounts of food on their own accord is the ultimate guest, those guests who succumb to these techniques generate a surprising level of joy for the host.
i have also not noticed a significant difference between the consumption of food that was prepared or purchased. one might think that a host would take more offense if food they slaved over was 'under-consumed'. it seems however, that the labor involved is not critical - all that matters is that massive quantities are ingested.