WHAT'S FOR SUPPER?
It occurred to me, many things do, to ask what Adam and Eve had for supper. On any given night, that is. I'm wondering if they were vegetarians. They would almost have to be, wouldn't they? Otherwise, they would have had to kill their supper with their bare hands. And even more of an issue, they would have had to eat it raw presumably since there is no mention of fire. Prometheus had not yet appeared.
Adam and Prometheus had much in common. Neither one would do what they were told. Adam ate an apple and Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to us humans. We have both to thank. Apple pie would be impossible without either. I'm thinking that Prometheus, whose liver is still being devoured by an eagle, has an edge here.
Since there is no mention of fire in Eden, apparently they didn't need it. The idea would be that vegetarians don't need fire. One's diet would have been rather limited. Was the fruit that they were to dine on seasonal? That is another question not answered. Which brings the next question, just what did they eat. What about protein? Without much effort, they might be able to eat insects like grasshoppers and such, but one thought leads to another especially regarding insects. What about mosquitos? There is no mention of mosquitos?
Wandering around naked in the woods would be considerably uncomfortable, especially at night when all the bugs that bite come out in full force. And malaria, what about malaria? If there were no mosquitos in the Garden, then they would have had to be created later and there is no info on that. None of these things, and possible other difficulties, are mentioned in Genesis. It seems to me that the whole story is lacking in detail. We have all been told about how wonderful the Garden of Eden was, but after some thought, questions arise.
Have you noticed, thought always causes issues. Once you begin thinking about something, it gets complicated. Knowing that complication is anathema to most, thought is normally to be avoided. It simply causes problems. There is no sense in causing unnecessary stress and grief. And besides, what difference does it make to us now, here in the 21st century, whether there were mosquitos in the Garden of Eden?
So once again, one thought leads to another in random paths. We begin with eating an apple and end with being eaten by mosquitos. Again why should we concern ourselves with these issues is the question. Most of us will not care one way or the other whether Adam and Eve were molested by mosquitos and other biting insects, but then again, some of us will care deeply so it may very well be worth thinking about.
Richard E H Phelps II
Mingo
