Why must spaghetti be eaten?

Answer 1

The answer to this question really depends on the context. There are a number of potential cultural, economic or philosophical reasons why the consumption of spaghetti becomes mandatory, at least in certain circumstances. For example, in many cultures (particularly within the Italian culture of food), if you are a guest for dinner, it would be considered the very height of rudeness to refuse to eat a spaghetti dish which has been presented to you by your host. In a similar vein, as a child, the reason why spaghetti must be eaten could be as simple as your parents telling you to "eat up your dinner".

In terms of economical reasons, a large number of jobs are supported by the spaghetti production industry, from the farmers who grow the wheat, through the production stages, distribution (transport and warehousing) through to food retailers (restaurants and supermarkets). If spaghetti wasn't consumed, the resulting stockpile of uneaten pasta would begin to present a problem for storage and disposal. In a wider sense, in a world which is already suffering from a defecit in total food production, the spaghetti hole would cause more widespread hunger.

In a more abstract sense, the spaghetti's very raison d'etre is to be eaten - almost "I am eaten, therefore I am". If spaghetti wasn't eaten, the very purpose for which spaghetti is created would no longer exist, and so the very concept of spaghetti would become unnecessary within the framework of modern human experience.