"If you want to be healthy, eat alone in the dark ..." - probably everyone heard this humorous phrase referring to "bad advice", or variations on its theme. However, each joke has its own truth. And this phrase is no exception to this rule of life. It accurately reflects the essence of such a concept as "secretive eating."
What it is?
Secret eating is a meal at the wrong time for this, hidden from other people. Of course, if a person has breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner alone, without company, then this has nothing to do with this concept. But if under the cover of night he sneaks to the refrigerator and sweeps the most delicious pieces off the shelves, hiding from households, then this is a secretive eating.
Also an example of this concept is an action that is familiar firsthand to many people. It consists in pulling out the most delicious pieces from a common pot, pan, pan, or other dish and, of course, eating them secretly from other family members.
How did this word appear?
The word "secret eating" originated in Orthodox Russian monasteries. It arose due to the fact that some of the novices and monks felt insufficient in food, but were shy to eat more than others in the general refectory because of fear of being known as gluttones. Therefore, those who could not control their own desire to eat did it secretly from the other brothers. Of course, those living in the monasteries were well aware that such behavior only enhances their fall, but they could not cope with their appetite.
Gluttony - what is it? One of the deadly sins, that is, the addictions most harmful to the Christian soul. Many understand it as gluttony. But this is not entirely true, although, no doubt, the addiction to consuming excessive amounts of food or the desire for excessively gourmet food is one of the most common manifestations of gluttony. This mortal sin lies in indulging our own base carnal impulses and desires to the detriment of the soul. Trying to avoid being accused of him, the monks compromised with their own conscience, the result of which, of course, was their spiritual decline.