Divine ambrosia

Reader question:

Please explain “divine ambrosia” in this passage – Merisant, which makes Equal, an aspartame sweetener, declared bankruptcy in January 2009, having been caught out by changing tastes. This month the firm emerged from bankruptcy ready for a comeback. It is betting heavily on the industry’s new divine ambrosia: a fake sugar that is natural (The Sweetener battle, Economist.com, January 28, 2010).

My comments:

If you have no idea what “ambrosia” is, it’s perfectly safe to guess that, here, the “fake sugar that is natural” is regarded as something divine.

That is, if you already know the word “divine”, something of the gods, something heavenly, something super fine.

“Ambrosia” refers to the food of gods in Greek mythology, food and drink (nectar) that could make mortals immortal. This, from Homer – The Iliad (Book XIX):

NOW when Dawn in robe of saffron was hasting from the streams of Oceanus, to bring light to mortals and immortals, Thetis reached the ships with the armour that the god had given her. She found her son fallen about the body of Patroclus and weeping bitterly. Many also of his followers were weeping round him, but when the goddess came among them she clasped his hand in her own, saying, “My son, grieve as we may we must let this man lie, for it is by heaven’s will that he has fallen; now, therefore, accept from Vulcan this rich and goodly armour, which no man has ever yet borne upon his shoulders.”

As she spoke she set the armour before Achilles, and it rang out bravely as she did so. The Myrmidons were struck with awe, and none dared look full at it, for they were afraid; but Achilles was roused to still greater fury, and his eyes gleamed with a fierce light, for he was glad when he handled the splendid present which the god had made him. Then, as soon as he had satisfied himself with looking at it, he said to his mother, “Mother, the god has given me armour, meet handiwork for an immortal and such as no living could have fashioned; I will now arm, but I much fear that flies will settle upon the son of Menoetius and breed worms about his wounds, so that his body, now he is dead, will be disfigured and the flesh will rot.”

Silver-footed Thetis answered, “My son, be not disquieted about this matter. I will find means to protect him from the swarms of noisome flies that prey on the bodies of men who have been killed in battle. He may lie for a whole year, and his flesh shall still be as sound as ever, or even sounder. Call, therefore, the Achaean heroes in assembly; unsay your anger against Agamemnon; arm at once, and fight with might and main.”

As she spoke she put strength and courage into his heart, and she then dropped ambrosia and red nectar into the wounds of Patroclus, that his body might suffer no change.

Now, more than once in this column I’ve asked readers to read the Bible, sometimes giving the impression that I’m a believer and am serving as a messenger of the Christian God, spreading a word for him. That is a wrong impression to give.

Or rather, a wrong impression for you to get. My position on the Christian God, since the subject is broached, is this: If the Christian God were as they say he is, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, etc. and so on and so forth, he certainly would not need any messenger to spread the word for him.

And he certainly wouldn’t need anyone to start any wars in his name and wouldn’t be fighting with any other religions in the world.

I mean, if the Christian God were a Taoist, he would not have needed any of this fuss. You know, as Lao Tzu observes: As winter advances it morphs seamlessly into spring. Ice begins to thaw, trees to bud and soon flowers bloom. The Great Tao does nothing and yet, this is the best part, leaves nothing undone.

In short, read your Homers and Roman histories. Read them if you want to master the English language and, more importantly, if your want to understand the Western psyche.

On the other hand, I ask the Westerner to read the Chinese classics, too – that’s where all our idioms and maxims come from – so that they can learn, among other things, about our feudal history and have an idea or two about why our people and politics are the way they are today.

Returning to our original point of discussion, here are two more media examples of “ambrosia”:

1. Poetry is the color of music, the rhyme of the rainbow, and the rhythm of life. Poetry is ambrosia and nectar, the food of the gods, nourishment for the soul. Children feel poetry in their souls. Poetry is dance and movement and music and art all in one.

- Bukisa.com, January 06, 2010.

2. Don’t multitask meals. In most of Europe, you can’t take your food to go. For instance, Italians can get delicious panini sandwiches right at the gas station, but would never deign to eat and drive at the same time. Instead, they sit down right at the station and chat with other diners, and the same goes for how they consume their little cup of morning espresso. By taking the time to focus on what you’re eating, you’ll enjoy it more, and more quickly register when you’re full.

Splurge if you want to. The French aren’t known to deny themselves dessert and will insist that it be the richest, most divine ambrosia. Did you know that rich, dark chocolate actually contains heart-healthy antioxidants, making it a deliciously healthy (well, somewhat) and satisfying way to cap off your meal? If you go for it, make it a reasonable size, slowly savor each bite, and don’t let yourself feel guilty about it.

- How to remain slim while eating? Sawaal.ibibo.com, April 08, 2009.