Aristotle and Your Favorite Sandwich

Is the perfect meal actually about balance? A surprising take on the philosopher’s ethics.

For many of us, the pursuit of the perfect meal is a never-ending quest. We scour cookbooks, follow food bloggers, and experiment with new recipes in the hopes of finding that elusive culinary nirvana. But what if the answer to this question lies not in the culinary arts, but in the world of philosophy?

Enter the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, whose works on ethics and virtue have stood the test of time. While many of us are familiar with his ideas on courage, justice, and wisdom, few of us consider how these principles might apply to our daily lives – including our food choices. In this essay, we’ll explore the surprising ways in which Aristotle’s concept of balance can inform our approach to mealtime.

For Aristotle, virtue lies at the heart of ethics. He believed that the key to living a good life was to cultivate habits of character that would allow individuals to achieve their full potential. In his Nicomachean Ethics, he argued that virtues like justice, temperance, and courage are the means by which we achieve happiness and fulfillment. But what does this have to do with our favorite sandwich?

One of the key virtues that Aristotle identified was temperance, which he described as the ability to regulate one’s desires and appetites. In other words, temperance is about finding a balance between pleasure and pain, or satiety and hunger. This virtue is closely tied to the concept of moderation, which is often misunderstood as being overly restrictive or ascetic. In reality, moderation is about finding a healthy balance between extremes, whether it comes to our food choices, our exercise habits, or our relationships with others.

So, how might this concept of moderation play out in our daily lives – particularly when it comes to mealtime? Consider the following: when we eat too much, we often feel guilty, bloated, and regretful. Conversely, when we eat too little, we may feel weak, tired, and deprived. This is where balance comes in – finding a middle ground that allows us to enjoy our food without overindulging, and without feeling deprived.

In other words, the perfect meal is not about indulging in every culinary whim, but about finding a balance that allows us to savor our food and enjoy the experience of eating. This might mean eating a balanced meal with a mix of protein, vegetables, and whole grains, rather than going for a quick bite at the fast food joint. It might mean cooking a delicious meal at home, rather than relying on takeout or delivery.

Of course, this is not to say that moderation is about depriving ourselves of pleasure or enjoyment. Aristotle’s concept of temperance is all about finding joy and fulfillment in moderation – whether it comes to our food choices, our relationships, or our passions. It’s about recognizing that excess is often the source of problems, rather than the solution.

So, the next time you sit down to eat your favorite sandwich, consider taking a page from Aristotle’s playbook. Ask yourself: am I eating in excess, or am I finding a balance that allows me to enjoy my food and feel fulfilled? By cultivating this virtue of temperance, you might just discover that the perfect meal is not just about the food itself – but about the experience of eating, and the joy that comes from living a balanced and fulfilling life.