So, I like to think on, often very trivial, theoretic scenarios. One such scenario that recently to mind was 'What if I was offered immortality, but the catch being I could never drink or eat. If I did, I'd become mortal and the aging process would continue from where it left off?' For me, I'm not entirely sure. To me, food and drink are some of the finest pleasures in life.

That said, if the offer was made, would you take it? Let's say for the sake of arguement, you'd have an average human physique, it'd never get skinny or lose muscle mass due to not eating or drinking. If the opportunity presented itself, would you take up the chance for immortality, or would eating and drinking be worth it to you to be mortal?

Would accidently swallowing a bug or swallowing spit count?

For the sake of arguement, no. Nothing so semantic. Eating as in with the intent to eat it for personal pleasure. If you're eating bugs, then yes. If it just gets lodged in there, no.

God no.

Being immortal would be boring as hell.

And no way I'm getting cheated out of that eternal sleep I'm promised.

This isn't a serious question, right? I HATE eating/food. I find it a waste of time. I rarely enjoy eating.

There is a condition to my acceptance, though:

I mustn't ever feel thirsty or hungry (even if you aren't truly hungry or thirsty, the brain can sometimes tell you that you are).

And I would always keep a little crumb of food on me, that way I can end my immortality at any time without having to fear being eternally trapped somewhere.

You can eat food even if you're immortal can't you? I wouldn't want to be immortal, I just want to live long enough to experience everything I want. Edit: I didn't read the op. EditEdit: What I would do, is live my life to the fullest as a mortal, then become immortal and do all of the things I missed, when I have accomplished everything desired, I would end my life with a nice Philly cheesesteak.

I'm quite passionate about food and drinks, so it's a difficult question for me. I suppose this is sort of like the, "would you rather live 10 years in a palace, or 100 years in a shack?" kind of question, and I think I'll stick to mortality and the ability to eat and taste.

Immortality is overrated, unless you don't mind living as a huge blob of flesh (you can still get cancer, after all), getting buried under a landslide for over a hundred years (hey, if you're going to live forever, it's inevitable that you're going to get stuck in a situation like that eventually), or drifting forever in the vacuum of space (Earth's not gonna' be around forever after all...for that matter, have fun in the sun once it expands).

What can I say, I've never tasted anything so good that I would sacrifice my (fictitious) immortality over it.


To me, the only way this scenario would offer me a dilemma is if I had to endure the growing sensation of thirst and hunger, knowing that the moment I take a bite of anything I would be mortal again. But that is a bit extreme, no living being would endure that indefinitely without going crazy, we are hardwired to nurture ourselves.

Or, more plausible, since you say your physique would never decay due to your new condition... what if it wouldn't improve either? No matter how much you exert yourself, you would never reap the benefits of regular exercise?

What if that extended to your mind as well? Never being able to improve on your skills, never becoming wiser nor more intelligent?

I remember a similar idea was explored in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beggars_in_Spain series, where a generation was given photosynthetic capabilities through vaccines. Everyone seemed swell, the conflict in the novel was somewhere else if I remember right...

That's why you never leave home without a packet of honey on you at all times, so you can end your immortality.

Or better yet: use your savings from not buying to create some hollowed tooth with some food in it. When you bite down with all your might, it breaks and you'll become mortal again.

Immortality is basically controlled cancer. Though for all those around you, you'd be worse than typhoid Mary

But you wouldn't be doing that for pleasure, in fact, that would be the opposite of pleasure. so you would still be immortal.

The original definition of Epicureanism is in line with what I'm talking about. True pleasure comes from avoiding pain. Nothing is more painful than eternal torment.

I think it's funny how both Epicurus and Hedonism have become so associated with eating and gluttony IIRC, Epicurus was against eating most things, besides beans.

I see, well nvm then.

I sometimes wish to not have to eat, drink and sleep anyway (I know the latter is not on the list).

Regarding eating, I always think of food as a waste of money. Also, I'm a fussy eater, always have been. I have become able through the years to try new foods, and enjoy them, but I find that most I just really dislike. And then there's never many foods I think 'this is ok', there's no real middle ground.. Id hate to not be able to eat my favourite foods again but there isn't many of them anyway.
So while id miss that, food has been a major struggle for me (in the way detailed above, and in other different ways also).

Drink is something I love when I'm thirsty. I hate being thirsty. So really it's just a nuisance.

So I'd pick 'immortality' as an added bonus

I'd take it. I don't really mind the not eating part, but I do love my drinks... but not enough to give up immortality.

I see the need to eat and drink as a major design flaw, so I chose immortality. Although an eternity without bacon sandwiches might leave me a tortured individual. Imagine being able to smell bacon but never eat it. That would be tough.

You could always take the curse in your twilight years, after you've eaten and drank your fill. Then you could move on to literature, music, learn the languages of the world, whatever else you wanted. Edit: it would be better the other way around actually.

I have no interest in living forever, knowing that I'll die gives me an incentive to not waste a lot of my time, and besides, eventually everyone I know would grow old and die, which would just make me depressed, at which point I wouldn't want to live forever without my loved ones, and by the time they die, I'll have spent many years immortal and would be tired of life, therefore I wouldn't want to live the rest of my life as a mortal again. The whole thing would just make me hate life, and I don't want to die with only resentment in my heart.

And aside from that, I enjoy eating and drinking.

It's not an on off switch. It's a one time offer, you can take the immortality, then revoke it by forgetting and eating or drinking, or or as a way out. It's not on the table all the time.

@Defron- You make a good point, I wasn't thinking 'you still get hungry', I was thinking more 'the body is self sustaining, but you'll still want food if the desire hits the nose'. I suppose it's more a case of mind over matter.

Yeah, I think that'd be a tough fight to win. I don't even enjoy food, and still occasionally my brain will tell me "GO EAT NOW, YOU FOOL!".

Another thing to worry about that I didn't consider was: What about your digestive and waste systems? Would they maintain their condition without use? There were cases of Jews dying from eating normal food after being let out of the concentration camps, and that was after just a few years of malnourishment. Same thing happens to vegetarians who eat meat after years of abstaining from it: their bodies can no longer digest it and they can get very sick very fast. If you went decades, would you even be able to survive eating something and could your body even process it? If it wasn't maintained by the same magic that made you immortal, more than likely you'd sorely regret that bite or maybe even die.

I'd probably just ride it for as long as I could. I enjoy eating and drinking, but then again I don't really have the urge too unless I'm feeling particularly ravenous; cravings for certain delicacies normally subside after a while. Hang-on though, this means I wouldn't be able to drink tea...

Going to have to edit vote to "serious consideration".

I wouldn't want to be immortal because there would be no point to live forever, and in terms of family members and a future loved one.. I'd rather be with them again one day / forever, then to keep living without them. I also really enjoy the foods and drinks I've had, so I wouldn't take the offer of trading them in.

Well, if I had to be hungry all the time for immortality then no.

But if I don't really have any hunger and the only thing to allure me is the taste of food then hell yes!

I wanna see where this thing called "humanity" is going, I think I should be able to stay away from eating for a couple of centuries.

I always wished I didn't have to eat. I don't want to be immortal, but you say it's not permanent; I can become mortal again at any time.

I see no disadvantages.