Food For the Gods

Ambrosia with its heavenly taste was considered the food of the Olympian gods, and they drank nectar, but basically, they were the same thing.  It was thought that the gods needed to eat ambrosia and drink nectar to maintain their immortality and that anyone who would consume this would become immortal for a while.  Whoever consumed ambrosia would no longer have blood flowing in their veins, instead the rarefied golden fluid called ichor, which is the substance that would make them immortal.  In order to live or exist, everything needs sustenance, as nourishment supplies the necessities of life.  For people to understand the gods, they had to be like us in certain ways, so it was decided that they needed to eat and drink, but since they were different from us, they would not eat or drink the same stuff that mortals did.  Dining is the principal expression of social harmony, and this was central men and gods, but the gods considered mortal food to be beneath their dignity.

Certain foods can be named ambrosia and nectar, but since the gods were not real, there is no such thing as ambrosia or nectar and I think the closest thing that we have today to compare with them would be donuts and coffee.  Some people won’t eat donuts, saying that they are loaded with sugar and trans fats, but me being a realist, I never turn down the opportunity to snag a free donut, especially when they are given away at meetings.  I always felt that any meeting held that didn’t serve donuts was not worth attending.  People say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and nothing makes a simpler breakfast than donuts and coffee.  People associate donuts with empty calories, because they have little to no nutritional value, but even though they don’t contain vitamins, minerals, protein, or fiber, they can supply your body with energy to make it through the morning.  As a type 2 diabetic, I need to consume carbohydrates and my aim is to aim to get about half of my calories from carbs, which donuts are loaded with, so I refer to them as food for the gods.

Written for Sadje at Keep It Alive What Do You See #103.