Eating the Music
By Adam D. Miller
I have a theory that I would briefly like to explain, or at least attempt to explain.
As far as most people are concerned, music and food are interchangeable. Like food, most of us need music in order to live. Without it we would feel weak and helpless. It stimulates us: we are either disgusted by it or drool over it. There are those foods which the mere thought of nauseates us, and those foods which we seem to crave endlessly. The same idea can be applied to music.
With food our categories are often ethnic. There is Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Indian, and many other varieties. There are also hybrids, like Asian Fusion, which combines elements of different Asian cuisines. Beyond that we have certain ingredients which make up the dishes served in that specific cuisine. Regardless of how much we like or dislike a certain food category, there are usually certain dishes we like more than others.
With music, ethnic categories do exist, but we are more likely to break it down based on genre. There’s country, rock, jazz, blues, and many other genres. Like with food, we find hybrids, like country-rock and jazz fusion. We also find that few music listeners like everything that makes up a single genre. Like with food, we have certain artists, albums, and songs within those genres we listen to that we like.
We find people who like all sorts of music, much like we find people who like all sorts of different types of food. We find people that are passionate about types of food, and others that seem easygoing and don’t invest a lot of emotion in any of it. The same can be said of music.
We also find people who are prone to sticking with one or two types of food and have simple tastes. Vegetarians, people on diets, people who keep kosher. All can be applied to music. For instance, religious people are prone to avoid music that is counter-religious.
The most fascinating study when comparing music and food has to do with people who have similar tastes but slight differences that sometimes speak volumes. I can go to an Indian restaurant with a friend who also likes Indian food, but cannot handle it as spicily as I can. In the same way, I can listen to country music with a friend who likes country music, but cannot handle it as twangy as I can. At the same time, this same friend loves sushi with fish, but I avoid fish at all costs. I like folk, but not sea shanties. Or something.
Maybe this theory has something going for it. Maybe it doesn’t make sense. I just thought I would put it out there for others to ponder. Just remember, before getting into that argument over music with a friend or sibling: you are what you eat, and people are about as sensitive over food as they are music.
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