When we entered the world of belief and myths, we observed that these had a very significant presence among many ancient peoples. After all, the rational and scientific explanation of things was not exactly available at the time when man began to discover the world around him and discover himself. Regarding this last aspect, we see that the parts and functions of the body ended up gaining different meanings over time.
Even today, people have a particular fascination about the eyes. More than a simple aesthetic matter, some people believe that the look has the power to convey a dense range of feelings and moods. It is not by chance that we hear that they can be the “window of the soul”. It is from there that we ask ourselves about an expression that reveals our desire and greed: the famous “eating with your eyes”.
For many, the relationship seems too obvious. Every time we hold our gaze on some object of desire or open our eyes wide in a sign of ambition, we indicate the manifestation of a need as basic as food. Therefore, we would be “eating with our eyes” whenever we behave that way. But is that how such an expression became so used?
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In fact, this term comes from ancient civilizations that believe in the power that the gaze of one human being can exert over another. Among the Greeks, the myth of Medusa – capable of petrifying beings with just the look – would be an example of this type of belief. In some regions of West Africa, tribal chiefs had their meals taken in a private space, so that no one could absorb the energy of the food with their eyes.
Following this same line of reasoning, the expression “eating with one's eyes” is believed to have been diffused through an ancient ritual of the Romans. At a specific funeral celebration, the Romans held a grand banquet in honor of the dead. In this event, participants could not eat the dishes made, just watch them. It would have been from there, literally “eating” with the eyes, that the Romans led us to use such an expression.
By Rainer Sousa
Master in History
Brazil School Team
Curiosities - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SOUSA, Rainer Gonçalves. "Eating with your eyes"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/curiosidades/comer-com-os-olhos.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.