Chapter 31 Volume Three, Chapter Fourteen

Socrates advocated frugal conversation at the dinner table.There should be no competition between the guest and the guest as to the quantity and quality of the offerings at the time of the party, section 1.A person who eats only meat dishes or rarely eats staple food can be called (gluter), meat eater, verses 2-4.Anyone who eats many courses at once is foolish in every respect, v. 5,6.Those who keep in good health with light tea and light food can be said to have really eaten the feast, v. 7. When those who brought their own food to eat with them brought a small amount of meat, Socrates always ordered the servants to either put the small amount of meat together or divide it equally among each person.Therefore, those who brought more were ashamed not to eat from the dishes put together, and they were ashamed not to put their own in front of everyone in turn; they had to share what they had brought. .When they eat no more than those who bring less, they do not pay much for meat.

When Socrates noticed that one of the people at the dinner party did not eat bread and ate only meat—at this time people were discussing the names of things, and what kind of actions each name is derived from. Causing—Socrates asked: "Gentlemen, by what action can we say that a person is called a glutton? For all people eat meat when they have bread. Served with bread, but as far as I know, no one is called a glutton for it." "But," asked Socrates, "if a person eats meat instead of bread, not for the sake of training, but to satisfy his appetite, can such a person be considered a glutton?"

“[If such a person is not a glutton], it is difficult to say that other people are gluttons.” Another present asked, "And what [should he be called] who eats little bread and much meat?" "In my opinion," said Socrates, "it is just to call such a man a glutton, and besides, when others pray to the gods for a good harvest, he may well ask the gods to give them plenty of meat!" The young man saw that Socrates meant him, but he did not stop eating the meat, but took a piece of bread to accompany it.When Socrates saw this, he said, "Those who are sitting next to you, pay attention to this man. Does he eat meat instead of bread, or bread instead of meat?"

When Socrates saw another person at the same table taking a piece of bread and tasting various dishes together, he said: "What better way to eat than eating many kinds of dishes at the same time or stuffing all the condiments into it at the same time?" Is it more wasteful or more spoiling in the belly? For this makes the dish more expensive by mixing together more than the cooks cook; If not, mixing things that they did not cook together destroys the cooking technique.”Indeed, how can it not be ridiculous for a person to invite a skilled chef who can cook, and knowing that he does not know how to cook, but to (arbitrarily) change the dishes they have cooked?There is another disadvantage to those who are accustomed to eat many dishes at the same time: "because when there is no variety before him, he will feel too simple because he lacks the usual variety, but he is used to it. A person who uses one dish for one kind of bread, even if there are not many kinds of dishes on the table, he will be content with enjoying one kind of dish without any bitterness.”

Socrates often said that the word HI'ωGHισθαι (to eat well) was only called H'σθιH'ιJ (to eat) in the Athenian dialect, and he thought adding HI (good) meant that we should only eat those Food that does not cause pain to the mind or body or food that is hard to come by.Therefore, Socrates often applies the word HI'ωGHισθαι to those who live a regular life.