TheRoyalAcademy.org / Passage / 101208


Passage #76: 8 December 2010

Om to the Nom Nom



Cookie Monster is in many ways a rather poignant figure in the modern mythological canon.

What he craves is fleeting. Once he has experienced it, it is gone, and he is left with a greater hunger than ever. And yet we cannot fault him for this lack of foresight or restraint. He's a Cookie Monster, after all; that's his gig. He doesn't "do" satiety. He's all-in, all id.

Cookie Monster provides an instructive example, an endpoint of the continuum between pure consumption and pure production. To be in his presence is to be entertained, yes, even inspired (how can one not admire his unbridled joy for the cookie?), but also perhaps a bit worried. Is he going to be alright? Are we going to be alright? Can this continue forever?

Indeed, for a Cookie Monster it can, and it will. He will continue to consume the cookie whole, unconcerned with consequences, full of joy. But we, lacking a Cookie Monster's enormous maw and insatiable appetite, must eat the cookie in bites. And one could argue that we are better off for this. Do we not get more enjoyment by savoring each bite individually than by eating the cookie all at once?

This week is all about the bites. The cookie is large, and we can only eat it bit by bit, but we will be maximizing our enjoyment by savoring each one.

Most of the bites are a bit hilly. One is a bit crunchy. All of them are rewarding.

Route Map


Photos

Passage76_1070446.jpg: 700x525, 101k (December 15, 2010, at 12:40 AM)
Passage76_1070450.jpg: 700x525, 133k (December 15, 2010, at 12:40 AM)
Passage76_1070453.jpg: 700x525, 127k (December 15, 2010, at 12:41 AM)
Passage76_1070455.jpg: 700x525, 68k (December 15, 2010, at 12:41 AM)
Passage76_1070462.jpg: 700x525, 110k (December 15, 2010, at 12:41 AM)
Passage76_1070467.jpg: 700x525, 93k (December 15, 2010, at 12:42 AM)
Passage76_1070474.jpg: 700x525, 102k (December 15, 2010, at 12:42 AM)