Korthals (2008:6) explains that food is a fundamental aspect of our experience, but not only because all human beings need food to survive, but also because with food we experience the inner connection between the body and (cultural) nature, between life (survival) and death (of a living being), between flourishing and decay (rottenning food can remind us of the frightening aspects of our bodily existence), between power and disrespect (the powerful eat “better” food than the powerless) and between good feeling and anxiety (we had the first feeling of well-being when we were breastfed, as babies). Because of these diverse experiences, “eating” and “being eaten” have many different metaphorical meanings. In addition, it can be argued that among humans, eating does not necessarily mean violence or killing. Food is necessary for multicellular organisms, but predation is necessary only for carnivores; others may rely on organic remains (eg seeds, fruits and nuts). However, by translating the metaphor into ideology, in this domain, we also find scenarios where eating is definitely a paradigm of power and violence.

Korthals, M. (2008). Food as a source and target of metaphors: Inclusion and exclusion of foodstuffs and persons through metaphors. Configurations, 16(1), 77–92. https://doi.org/10.1353/con.0.0044