My diet has been on the World Wide Web for an entire decade already, but nobody has paid it any attention yet (“Bon’s Diet,” April 4, 2015). How do I know? It is enough to sit at Marko’s on the lower square in Motovun every now and then to figure out that the number of obese people is growing at a clip all around the world. Indeed, visitors to the hilltown hail from many countries and all continents. And they gobble up everything on offer wherever they go, as witnessed by their zeal in all the restaurants within my view. The way the world has been shaping lately, genetics is their only excuse. The excuse, as it were. Nearly all of them will claim that they eat nearly nothing at all, but that they still gain wait by the day. Genetics and nothing but genetics, to be sure. Eating less is beyond them, anyway. The best diet ever offered to them, and for free, is nigh incomprehensible to them. Eat less? What could it possibly mean? One way or another, obesity has a bright future for the time being. A decade or two at most, that is.

Addendum I (April 8, 2025)

By the way, so-called appetite suppressants have been available for years, but to no avail. Most of these weight-loss pills can be gotten over the counter, too. Although some of them have turned out quite successful in all sorts of medical tests, obesity is still with us. And no kidding. In fact, it appears to be skyrocketing as of late. No wonder my diet has been so unsuccessful with my fellow humans. The joy of eating is genetic for sure, and the production of enjoyable foods and drinks cannot be suppressed in any way. Capitalism is capitalism, after all. And I would not be surprised to learn one fine day that some of these contain hidden appetite enhancers. Where there are suppressants, there must be enhancers, as well. One way or another, obesity has a very bright future, indeed.

Addendum II (April 9, 2025)

At the risk of adding a few words too many, I feel obliged to comment on the last sentence in the previous addendum. Even though obesity has a bright future, it is bound to be a rather short one. Precision is unwarranted in this case, but this civilization will bite the dust within a few decades at most. After a century or two, the surviving humans will have to revert to hunting and gathering emblematic of their long-forgotten ancestors. Given the ravages of climate change and environmental degradation, there will not be much to eat on planet earth, either. And my tongue-in-cheek diet will become pointless for many thousands of years. In fact, soon enough it will turn around quite literally: eat more! If my diet will ever regain its punch, this will be at the pinnacle of the next surge of human development following the onset of the next interglacial period. And this entails more than a hundred-thousand years. Three cheers for the bright future!