I was reading an article in October 2005's Harpers called "Debbie Does Salad".
With a title like that, how could I resist? I don't know how, since I didn't, and boy was it fun!
I learned some new words
prelapsarian, adj Theol. occurring before the Fall. As in, "Perhaps we could spit out that apple of knowledge and live in a prelapsarian paradise."
splanchnic (splangk nik), adj. of, pertaining to, or supplying the viscera or entrails; visceral. As in, "When it comes to television...the splanchnic response...the primal gut reaction--that's what hauls in the ratings."
In the article, a woman who works as a porn still photographer, Barbara Nitke, watches Food Network shows with the author. She says, "You watch porn saying, 'Yes, I could do that.' You dream that you're there, but you know you couldn't. The guy you're watching on screen, his sex life is effortless. He didn't have to negotiate, entertain her, take her out to dinner. He walked in the with pizza. She was waiting and eager and hot for him."
Then there's a quote from the VP for Food Network's programming. He says, "We create this sensual, lush world, begging you to be drawn into it. It's a beautifully idealized world. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that world?"
The article made me laugh quite a few times. It's a situation that indicates that sex is everywhere. It doesn't have to be about sex. Sometimes it is; sometimes it isn't about that. But there's something splanchnic about ourselves--we respond to most things in an earthy way. Certainly we may rise above all that visceral stuff when we see a beautiful sunset or hear amazing music or taste phenomenal food...but wouldn't you like to share it with someone, too? In a prelapsarian world, perhaps, we could have both.
Posted by dotty at February 1, 2006 11:15 PM | TrackBack