“Festivals cause diseases, since they lighten cares but increase gluttony.” ~Apollonius of Tyana
Welcome back! Week two of our ongoing parade of Deadly Sins features Gluttony. This bad lad is described as habitual greed or excess in eating. The word is derived from the Latin “gluttire”, meaning “to gulp down or swallow”.
Some may well confuse this sin with that of Greed. While Greed does seem to lead straight to Gluttony, they are indeed two different characters.
Speaking of festivals, I attended a large backyard barbecue event yesterday and had my own brush with Gluttony. You may have been there as well. It was a most excellent time, a day full of food, music, more food and more music, and libations aplenty.
There. Was. So. Much. Food.
My friends cooked all day. And I mean all day. I don’t think the grilling stopped until 10:30 last night. I myself had to stop after three plates of food. Mind you, they were reasonable sized plates of food consumed throughout the course of the day, but that’s still a lot of food when it’s hot out.
It was so difficult to stop eating! I had to tell myself “no” three times when I saw the corn roasting over the fire after my third plate of food. I’m kind of sad about this today, but last night I would have deeply regretted eating even one more bite.
Hello, Gluttony. I see you there. I have no room for you.
So, earlier today I was meditating on which Deadly Sin each of the kids in ‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’ might be. (This is the sort of thing I will regularly mull over in my spare time, yes.)
Obviously, Augustus Gloop’s downfall is Gluttony. The kid can’t stop eating. Or whining, but unfortunately whining does not count as a major sin. (Thanks, Evagrius Ponticus. Missed a big one there…)
I’m kind of torn on whether the poor behavior of the other three unfortunate children would be classified as Gluttony or Greed.
At first I thought that Veruca Salt’s issue might be Pride because she’s so boastful, but she wants EVERYTHING. So that could be Gluttony. However, it’s not always related to eating, so that’s more likely Greed. (The fit about the “Bean Feast” always throws me, because none of the food she lists off for that extravagant party has beans in it. Unless the cream buns and doughnuts are vanilla flavored?)
Violet Beauregarde is greedy for gum, which she sometimes swallows, and that’s kind of eating. She also turns into a piece of fruit because she doesn’t know how to listen and continues to indulge in an imaginary dinner, so…I’m counting that as Gluttony.
Then there’s Mike Teavee. Over indulging on the idiot box and not opening his mouth wide enough when he talks. It’s true that he watches a glut of TV, but again that’s not related to food so I suppose I’ll have to leave that one with Greed.
I still think it was totally bogus that Grandpa Joe didn’t get out of bed for twenty years until a Golden Ticket was waved in his face.
~Jessica, your Raven Cafe Media Specialist
