Why does eating feel like fueling up, not living?

Nasreddin was once seen eating his soup standing at the door, spoon moving fast, eyes on the road. A neighbor said, 'Hodja, why eat like a man late for a fire?' Nasreddin said, 'I am late — for the next thing I have to do.' The neighbor said, 'But what about the soup?' Nasreddin said, 'What about it?' This is most of us now. We eat standing, eat scrolling, eat because the body sent a memo. The food did not get worse. The eating got smaller — squeezed between meetings, screens, and the next thing. Taste needs room to happen. Give it no room, and it disappears, even though the tongue still works fine. If joy feels gone everywhere, not just at the table, and this has gone on a long while, talk to someone you trust or a professional — that's a bigger conversation than a meal can hold. But if it's mostly about food, the fix is social, not medical: rebuild the table with people, not just plates. Do it with your pod. Eating together, on purpose, is where taste comes back first.