# When should I opine on what people want to eat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 3, 2025, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422 "2025-07-03T01:36:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/121 "2025-07-05T14:50:15Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Sometimes they’re not even aware of the odor. I smoked heavily for about ten years, from 18-28. Like by the last three years it was up to two packs a day. One day, I just quit. Don’t know why. Don’t know how. Just didn’t pick up the evening’s pack of cigarettes and somehow that shut me off. Anyway, all those years I never noticed just how much smoke stank. I mean, I smelled it when I was smoking it, but I never realized how odious it was on your clothes. Within a week, I started notcing more and more of it and had to go through all the clothes in my flat and rewash them to get that scent out. How the hell did I never notice it before? And now every time I came from the pub, first thing I did was strip down and toss everything into the washing machine so as not to stink up my room. It really is unbelievable how much one can not notice the smoke stench when one is a smoker. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/122 "2025-07-05T15:59:38Z")
When my father had quit smoking cigarettes he expressed how much he could now smell and taste that he hadn’t realized he had not been able to while smoking. Not just his own stink but good smells and tastes too! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/123 "2025-07-05T16:02:19Z")
I had never thought my tastes were blunted – I would eat all sorts of crazy foods and delicately spiced foods in addition to flavor bombs. But, in reality, there’s no way that I _can’t_ be tasting more (especially as like 80% of taste is smell or something like that) now that I have long quit. But that’s one thing I didn’t notice obviously, for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/124 "2025-07-05T16:33:24Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > My Sister smoked for many years. > It took a grandkid born premature to stop her. That’s a good thing! I read ages ago that, at that point, the only factor they found that statistically correlated with SIDS was having a smoker in the house. And the smoker didn’t even have to smoke _in_ the house – just being a smoker who smoked outside was enough. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/125 "2025-07-05T16:49:34Z")
Total agreement, here. She would too, but she has been heard to say how much she’d like to smoke again. The craving never leaves you, apparently. Addiction is a hard mistress. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/126 "2025-07-05T17:04:38Z")
Tell me about it. My dad was still smoking with only one lung. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/127 "2025-07-05T20:14:37Z")
There have been stories about people who set their oxygen tents on fire by smoking in them. My parents both smoked and it killed them. They shipped an heirloom that had been in their some forever, cushioning it in old newspapers. When we opened it on arrival it stank so badly we set it on the porch for a few days and still gave it a cleaning before bringing it back in. It’s the same thing with gasoline-powered vehicles.\* For twenty years I drove a CNG auto, went back to ICE for six years, and am not in an EV. I noticed then and again now how badly gas-cars smell of both exhaust and raw gas when I get in one. \* And presumably diesels but I have no experience with them. Oh, and to get back to the OP, the only time to opine on what people eat is if it would kill them in the next 24 hours or so. “I’d stay away from that home-made fugu if I were you.” ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/128 "2025-07-05T20:29:26Z")
Yeesh, my friend’s parents drank and smoked non-stop until they died. They’d drunk away a fortune and lived in a squalid little house, once their casual summer retreat ; my friend paid their bills. When both were gone, she went to see what could be made of the house she’d inherited. The furniture, curtains, rugs, walls, even the ceiling, were all yellow-brown with nicotine. The house had to be essentially gutted to the bone and scrubbed and repainted before it was livable. They hadn’t even noticed. It’s pretty poisonous stuff. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/129 "2025-07-05T20:43:00Z")
Well, yeah, nicotine is actually a poison – used for roses, especially – and as an occasional murder weapon in old mystery novels. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/130 "2025-07-05T21:01:41Z")
The sad truth is that everything is mostly genetics. How long did your grandparents live?, you have a good chance of living that long. Parents do not matter as much as you would think that they do. You can do things to mitigate your probable outcome, like not smoking, regular exersise, eat well, etc. But if your grandparents died young you are very likely to do so too. You are not going to change that much by having a better lifestyle. You can spend a lot of time and effort trying to change that, but in the end it is mostly genetics. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/131 "2025-07-05T21:15:14Z")
I’ll argue that you have rather little leverage to the upside. As you say. But you (any you) have _massive_ leverage to the downside. And one heck of a lot of Americans are hell-bent on maximizing their downside leverage. There is enough obesity in the USA to create an extra 100 _million_ healthy-weight adults. If folks would take their foot off their health brakes, their later in life coast out would coast a lot farther and more happily. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/132 "2025-07-05T22:22:58Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > The sad truth is that everything is mostly genetics. Are you sure? Because the most up to date studies don’t come to the same conclusions. > **[Your Lifestyle Matters More Than Your Genes](https://time.com/7261172/genes-vs-lifestyle-longevity-study/)** > > These are the factors that most determine how long you'll live, according to a new study. > The results were striking. Environment and lifestyle accounted for 17% of people’s disease-related risk of dying, compared to just 2% for genetics. Of the various environmental exposures, smoking was the riskiest behavior, linked to 21 diseases; socioeconomic factors such as household income, neighborhood, and employment status were associated with 19 diseases; and a lack of physical activity was linked to 17 diseases. Environmental exposures had the greatest impact on lung, heart, and liver disease, while genetics played the greatest role in determining a person’s risk of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers, plus dementia. To be very specific. I with my genetics would highly likely be dead by my age if I lived in an earlier time. My genetic very high cholesterol was completely unresponsive even to marathon training exercise and strict diet, moved to LDL lower than HDL with a small dose of Lipitor and has been there now for 27 years. Without my asthma controller I would be unable to exercise regularly which is huge for my health (great data on the impact of good VO2Max and adequate strength maintenance on longevity). My dad died pretty young from conditions that I am genetically prone to but have prevented or managed. I won’t bore you with my grandparents environmental induced emphysema etc. The dice will roll. I could get killed riding my bike next week. But no I am not likely to die of the things that my grandparents died of and looking at their lifespans is not very informative. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/133 "2025-07-05T22:44:02Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > There is enough obesity in the USA to create an extra 100 _million_ healthy-weight adults. Imagine how many Adipose you could make. > **[Adipose](https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/Adipose)** > > The Adipose, also known as Adiposians, were a race of vaguely humanoid blobs of fat. Young Adipose were hand-sized, marshmallow-shaped beings, composed almost entirely of fat. They weighed at least one kilogram, as Roger Davey, who used the Adipose... ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2025, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/134 "2025-07-06T02:48:29Z")
and we know celebrities like George Burns and a Black musician (I can’t remember name) who lived into 90’s smoking every day ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2025, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/135 "2025-07-06T06:22:40Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > > [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > > > The sad truth is that everything is mostly genetics. > > Are you sure? Because the most up to date studies don’t come to the same conclusions. I read an interesting study that found that your lifespan is better correlated with the lifespan of your spouse than with the lifespan of your close relatives. I think that’s a really compelling argument for the importance of lifestyle. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2025, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/136 "2025-07-06T16:04:15Z")
Here’s a link to the study cited in the article I linked to. It’s a dense read but interesting. [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03483-9](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03483-9) Of course no factor, genetic or lifestyle, is absolute destiny. My MIL is turning 89. Was a long term smoker, sun worshipper, fairly heavy regular drinker … has had five cancers. She’s outlived two partners and almost all of her peers. Bouncing back _pretty_ well from a bout of urosepsis with appendicitis followed by aspiration pneumonia with several days of vent care. By statistics she should not be the last one standing (okay, high SES and strong social networks works in her favor) but here she is. Diminished some after the last bout but still a force. Still if I was playing backgammon I wouldn’t plan on rolling double sixes … ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2025, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/137 "2025-07-06T18:24:15Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I read an interesting study that found that your lifespan is better correlated with the lifespan of your spouse than with the lifespan of your close relatives. I think that’s a really compelling argument for the importance of lifestyle. I first read your comment early this morning. As I later sat at breakfast out I kept turning it over in my head. Sitting on one side was a 40-something seemingly married couple of corpulent Americans tucking into a mound of pancakes and potatoes. On the other side a pair of also seemingly married 50-something lean Americans both wearing t-shirts from different local 10k runs. A glance at their exposed legs and board-flat bellies showed they both ran … lots. They’d finished eating, so I couldn’t tell what their meal had been. But there were two small plates, not 5 big ones. As to me, it was a simple small nil-carb breakfast after a 3-1/2 mile beach walk. Trying to do better to kill this unwelcome paunch before it solidifies into permanent. With its attendant bad lifespan & healthspan consequences. ---
**Author:** ![TheTyrant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thetyrant/32/19111_2.png) [@TheTyrant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheTyrant)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2025, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/138 "2025-07-06T18:34:07Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Sitting on one side was a 40-something seemingly married couple of corpulent Americans tucking into a mound of pancakes and potatoes. On the other side a pair of also seemingly married 50-something lean Americans both wearing t-shirts from different local 10k runs. A glance at their exposed legs and board-flat bellies showed they both ran … lots. They’d finished eating, so I couldn’t tell what their meal had been. But there were two small plates, not 5 big ones. I also feel like you can’t just count years and call the person who lives longest the winner. Quality of life really matters. Modern medicine can keep you (mostly) upright and breathing for a surprisingly long time but the way you lived your life is going to have a hand in how those years go. Maybe genetics dictates that I have fewer years than someone else, but I don’t want to spend those last years dealing with emphysema or cirrhosis or diabetes or sleep apnea or joint problems or any of the other myriad problems questionable life choices can lead to. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2025, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/139 "2025-07-06T19:15:44Z")
And while that cited study demonstrates that genes do not have the huge impact on lifespan that some imagine, especially relative to environmental and lifestyle factors, the impact of lifestyle factors is (as you say) much more huge for _healthspan_ than on lifespan. The phrase commonly used is “compression of morbidity.” The basics of a healthy nutrition pattern, a balanced exercise plan including aerobic and some strength and even balance exercise, not smoking, not drinking to excess, and have social connections, will statistically add a bit to our lifespans but lots to our healthspans. Albeit dementia was on the list impacted more by genetics than by lifestyle. Neither my wife or I have it in the family but that is still my greatest disability fear. All those lifestyle things still have impact on it, but not as much as on other things. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2025, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422/140 "2025-07-06T19:18:15Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Kinda novel to accuse an OP of shitting his own thread. Not what I was saying. > [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I think he’s saying if OP posted in someone _else’s_ thread it would be threadshitting. Yep, this. > [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > It’s just many people don’t read through threads before they post their reaction. I read through the whole thread, including the many, many (many) iterations of the OP saying they got the message. But this is IMHO and more Os are better on something like this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-opine-on-what-people-want-to-eat/1020422.md?page=8)