The broccoli of damnation and the mushrooms of joy, self-righteous organic apples and politically incorrect tuna sandwiches rule our lives. Eating is one of the most basic human activities and at the same time its cultural significance could hardly be overrated.

Not only is Food nourishment for our bodies, its availability is also a main requirement for a feeling of personal safety and security. Food is comfort: from our earliest days onwards we have learnt to associate certain kinds of food with certain situations, specific persons or emotions. It is highly likely that, had we been given a slab of spinach instead of a sweet each we fell and hurt our knee, we would not experience such a craving for sugar in times of discomfort and stress. (I admit, maybe that this may be a little far-fetched - in my case it would have to be spinach with lots of chocolate to do the job.) Apart from the values attached to it, food itself is a complicated matter: what is considered edible in one culture may be a taboo in another.

We just have to examine our world to understand that food is more than just what we digest. Convenience foods, hardly imaginable fifty years ago, now form part of our staple diet. But is it as convenient as we assume? Or does it merely result in curious facts such as children being unable to distinguish a carrot from a potato?

Whatever the answer to these questions, food is never an easy topic. After all, it is all about taste and tastes. It is probably not without a reason that the old Latin saying has been faithfully handed down from generation to generation: De gustibus non est disputandum. We, however, will try to do just that. Thus, in our second reading of poetry and prose, unknown authors-in-the-making will present you their thoughts on Food.