See more: An illustrated version of this article will be published within the next two weeks on our CultureLab books and arts blog
NO SPECIES has a more complex relationship with food than we do. There are few edible items that, somewhere in the world, humans do not eat. The evolutionary benefits of a diverse diet are obvious. Yet unlike other omnivores, our diets are tightly interwoven into the fabric of our society. There are perfectly palatable foods that some people will not eat, for example. Others have an aversion to food altogether. Where’s the evolutionary sense in that?
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