I enjoyed Jason Gay's reflections on eating too much at a big meal -- not knowing when to stop. I could identify. This was to set up his argument that sports schedules should be lean and mean to keep fans hungry for more. Since satiety is the enemy, Jason advocates the best-of-five series over the best-of seven series. But he begins (quite entertainingly) talking about eating::
We're a nation of presumed gluttons—allegedly desperate for more, more, more. But how much do we really need?
Not long ago, I ordered a salad for dinner (I know: how thrilling! Want to buy the movie rights?)
When it arrived, I thought someone had made a mistake: The kitchen had prepared a Caesar fit for the Purdue University football banquet.
This was not a dish, or a bowl, but a trough that would not fit in the overhead compartment of an airplane. The waiter practically had to carry it with a harness, and when he plopped it on the table, as if it were fresh roadkill, he gave a look of unspoken disgust, as if to say, "Knock yourself out, elastic waistband!"
Of course, I soon found myself doing the thing that many of us do when faced with an oversized plate, which is to embrace the challenge, and eat beyond reasonable limits. I made a series of mental contracts—stop here, okay here, okay here—that were quickly broken, until all that was left was one lonely crouton, soggy in dressing. Then I ate that, too. I was filled with parmesan and self-loathing.
"The meal is not over when I'm full," the comedian Louis CK once said.
"The meal is over when I hate myself."
The thing is, we don't want so much. We need balance and portion control. We don't have to have the biggest car, or house, or TV, or Caesar salad.
And we don't need so much from sports, either. . . . [more . . .]
Good writing!