I bite into wine and drink life, am I an epicurean?

You've probably heard this expression thrown around. Is your forkful lethal and does your descent defy the sacrosanct public health recommendations? Congratulations, you have now been elevated to the rank of Epicurean, ^23rd degree of the Burgundian Rite. You can now show off your glowing cheeks and your pretty belly; this will allow you to easily recognize yourself among your peers.

No way! You've fallen for it, scholar though you are. I'd better warn you, Epicurus isn't happy, really isn't happy. He's going to swim back up the Styx and instill his doctrine in you with grandiloquent slaps.

Let's start by giving some definitions, in the broad sense, to help you find your way around:

Epicureanism, as its name suggests, is a doctrine developed by Epicurus, a Greek philosopher of the 4th century BC. According to him, in short, it is advisable to avoid indulging in all forms of pleasure from which displeasure can arise, not to give in to temptations and the spiral of desires, so as not to experience lack and frustration later on. It is therefore appropriate to value the simple, lasting and essential pleasures that are friendship, freedom, the absence of troubles (ataraxia) and bodily health (aponia).

Now think back to your plumpness and crimson complexion, acquired over a long career making glasses, plates, and sometimes even your own memory disappear. It's even possible, as a great magician, that you yourself have sometimes disappeared under the table. Is this a sustainable and healthy approach, I ask you?

But then a question arises, since we love good food and good wine among friends, sometimes to excess, how do we qualify?

"But Gaël, we can say that we're bon vivants, stop showing off!"

You won't get away with it like that, you will not only stop torturing Epicurus and his philosophy, but also do me the pleasure of using another learned word, more appropriate, with a few nuances: Hedonism.

Hedonism, in short, is a philosophy of life that consists of a constant pursuit of pleasure and the absolute avoidance of suffering. If you've followed this far, Epicureanism is a moderate branch of hedonism; pleasure is certainly sought, but not at any cost and not at the potential expense of physical and mental health.

So you can call yourself an epicurean if, among friends, your wine consumption is limited to one glass and a hedonist if the number of bottles is irrelevant, as long as the wine brings pleasure and the sweetness of drunkenness.

Some might speak here of an exacerbated hedonism with modern and deviant overtones, but don't listen to them; they are deceitful and boring. 

There you go, I hope that's understood, if I hear one of you again pronounce the word epicurean where it doesn't belong, it will be bread and water, or even an excommunication from lacavedegael.com for the most recalcitrant.