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I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

theguardian.com

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Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#251

Post by DyslexicAtheist »

taneq wrote: post #221
cldellow wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I read that differently from you. I think he's sad because they _do_ go to the effort of hearing the cuckoos, but they're rushing. They're not fully present, and so they don't get the full experience. He, by contrast, is very present in the things he does. That he doesn't choose to do many things is a different topic.

Is it different, though? Can you do things that deeply without limiting the number of things you’re doing?

I think it is. There are people who experience time differently due to disabilities, who simply are like this[1], but I it's also possible when trying to make an effort: Meditation is meant to give this ability: Also the Japanese "ichigo ichie" living in the moment is based on the concept, and some people I know not just "practice" this but are incapable of multitasking - because they chose not to.

Something can be gained by not stripping away boredom, but instead "savouring" the moment to see where it leads (essential for creativity).

Then there is the idea of taking a cold shower as first thing in the morning to tell your subconscious to better not be to comfortable, and prepare "properly" for your day ahead (without "expectation" of comfort). Eating the same supper is a similar spirit and strips away the comfort and thinking that "one has an entitlement to something".

See also the Stoic philosophy etc.

  ___
[1] this is a truly fantastic book if anyone was looking for an unsolicited recommendation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Discovery_of_Slowness

from the wikipedia link:

> "Slowness" — in German, "Langsamkeit" — had, before Nadolny's novel been primarily associated with mental retardation. In Nadolny's world, however, this seeming disability is in fact a powerful asset; the possessor of "slowness" can afford to wait, because he must wait. As a result, he attains victories unimaginable to the more "hurried" multitude. Nadolny's choice of a hero is apt in this regard; certainly the historical Sir John Franklin was never known for his mental alacrity, but beyond that, his "slowness" is more of a post-modern conceit. In a manner reminiscent of Roland Barthes' "autobiography" of Jules Michelet, Nadolny's Franklin is completely consistent with the known facts, all impeccably researched. Yet interwoven with the truth there is an entirely fictitious construction of Franklin as "slow," ranging from an imaginary ball-game in which the hapless John always arrives several seconds after the ball has departed to a fictitious re-creation of Franklin's efforts, at the height of Admiral Horatio Nelson's naval battles, to find and shoot a sniper from atop the masts of an enemy warship. By waiting, without panic, and carefully noting the angle at which the sniper's shots have been discharged, Franklin pinpoints his location and takes him down with a single shot.

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#252

Post by arketyp »

doe88 wrote: post #201

I usually have the same dinner or close variants 6-days a week, then after few months when I'm tired of this menu I slowly update parts of it and it then evolves to something new. I don't force myself in doing it, it's often just about the simplicity of knowing that a given meal has the right balance of calories by knowing it works (i.e. maintaining the same weight) from one day to the next.

I do the exact same thing. Usually parts are rotated by things which come in season or on sale. After a day's work I enjoy spacing out doing something predictable.

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#253

Post by oilostthelast »

robbrown451 wrote: post #123

Does it strike anyone else as oddly ironic that he is so sad that people don't go to the effort to hear the cuckoos, and yet he basically doesn't want to experience... well, pretty much everything. It's great he's happy with the life he has chosen. But I personally find people who are even slightly like that (i.e. closed off to new experiences) depressing to be around. My parents are kind of like that, and have been…

You find noble, humble and virtuous souls depressing to be around?

Look at this austere man, so capable. Entirely singular. Wholly content. How can you come to find even a hint of the vaguest ennui. Truly I envy the man, I aspire to be so contented, unfortunately I've decades of conditioning to unravel to attain such a saintly outlook. Imagine how simple and humane the world would be if it was populated with people like this. The man is wise.

Would it be fair to assume you find such people "depressing" because they're resistant to your superficial intellectual rotundity? Because they don't play your games?

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#254

Post by casefields »

alisonatwork wrote: post #159
FractalParadigm wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I came to this realization in university - I love software, I love writing programs and solving problems, but I really don't love office work or the idea of sitting at a desk all day. I dropped out of a software engineering program to work on a factory floor, a decision I haven't regret once in five years (even if my parents would consider me a failure). The hours are good, the wage is good, benefits are good, I get…

I wish I had made that decision when I could. I'm over 20 years into software development and every few years I try to get out of it, but most places won't hire someone with professional experience because they're scared you'll quit, and that problem just compounds itself over time. Instead I now work software for a few years on, then take a year off. During the working years life is a real stress, constantly thinkin…

You still can! You just need to find someone willing to give you a shot. If you're financially able to, definitely tell them your story and offer to work at a reduced "probationary pay" for some months to show you're dead serious.

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#255

Post by slim »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #212
geocrasher wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm American, and I have to disagree. I have the same thing for breakfast every day, and I love it. I usually have the same thing for lunch, too. It's convenient and I change it up just a little now and then. For dinner, my daughter and I do different things. I think that embracing this is a good thing. It's comfortable. It's safe, and I am content. On the weekends I do change it up too, but during the week, I find m…

I tried eating a particular dish every day for a while. (To the exclusion of other foods.) I didn't get tired of it -- I loved it and still do. But I had to stop because, after a while of this, I would still be hungry after eating a large meal. My stomach would be physically full, but I'd be hungry anyway. I'm still not sure what the problem was. It was a dish basically consisting of lentils, onions, and shredded chi…

Your body was probably carving some nutrient not found in your dish

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#256

Post by kitbrennan »

brokencode wrote: post #200
diehunde wrote: post #180

Trying to eat something different everyday is an American obsession that I'll never understand. It's just so stressful and inconvenient. I grew up in a small town where eating the same for dinner everyday was extremely common. Tea or coffee and bread. The only variable would be what you put in your bread. Some days it would be butter, some days it would jam. Some days it would be honey, some days it would be avocado.

I think eating the same thing every day is fine, though you need to make sure to have a balanced diet with good nutrition. The author mentioned his uncle who just ate bread, butter, and cheese for every meal, and I’m not sure how you can even survive off of that. Surely it’s lacking something important with no fruit or vegetables. I’ve heard that humans had a long period of time after we became sedentary and started…

> The author mentioned his uncle who just ate bread, butter, and cheese for every meal, and I’m not sure how you can even survive off of that. Surely it’s lacking something important with no fruit or vegetables.

Exactly, wouldn’t you end up with scurvy from the lack of vitamin C?

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#257

Post by Decker87 »

oilostthelast wrote: post #253
robbrown451 wrote: post #123

Does it strike anyone else as oddly ironic that he is so sad that people don't go to the effort to hear the cuckoos, and yet he basically doesn't want to experience... well, pretty much everything. It's great he's happy with the life he has chosen. But I personally find people who are even slightly like that (i.e. closed off to new experiences) depressing to be around. My parents are kind of like that, and have been…

You find noble, humble and virtuous souls depressing to be around? Look at this austere man, so capable. Entirely singular. Wholly content. How can you come to find even a hint of the vaguest ennui. Truly I envy the man, I aspire to be so contented, unfortunately I've decades of conditioning to unravel to attain such a saintly outlook. Imagine how simple and humane the world would be if it was populated with people l…

I can't tell if this is satire. If it is, bravo, well done.

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#258

Post by kitbrennan »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #207
brokencode wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think eating the same thing every day is fine, though you need to make sure to have a balanced diet with good nutrition. The author mentioned his uncle who just ate bread, butter, and cheese for every meal, and I’m not sure how you can even survive off of that. Surely it’s lacking something important with no fruit or vegetables. I’ve heard that humans had a long period of time after we became sedentary and started…

> The author mentioned his uncle who just ate bread, butter, and cheese for every meal, and I’m not sure how you can even survive off of that. Surely it’s lacking something important with no fruit or vegetables. The only thing you're really missing there is dietary fiber, which -- being indigestible -- doesn't have nutritional value. However, it does interact with your intestines as it passes through them in a manner…

There are a long list of illnesses caused by vitamin deficiencies, including Scurvy, Rickets, magnesium deficiencies and iron deficiencies (as well as others). These can be life threatening too, so survival is very much a question that should come up.

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#259

Post by ozim »

Just take a mental note while reading this article, those people that moved out, probably had to move out because there was no place/work for them there.

He is a wealthy man that owns a farm. Same story about someone who would be a bartender in a local pub, where he was just an employee serving local drunks, would be much sadder one.

Re: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years

#260

Post by jamesblonde »

diehunde wrote: post #180

Trying to eat something different everyday is an American obsession that I'll never understand. It's just so stressful and inconvenient. I grew up in a small town where eating the same for dinner everyday was extremely common. Tea or coffee and bread. The only variable would be what you put in your bread. Some days it would be butter, some days it would jam. Some days it would be honey, some days it would be avocado.

As an irishman, i can so relate to the comment on the jam :)

"My uncle, a bachelor and farmer like me, had the same food for every meal. He had bread, butter, cheese and tea for breakfast, lunch and dinner (although he would bring out the jam for visitors)."

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