Inmedae and Food

Inmedae eats for unsimple pleasure-- meaning, for comfort in the absence of surrounding sensitivity. A strong connoseurship means a great deal, his obsession with status plays a large role-- to have the best laid table in the cosmopolitan world in the main object, as is with dress, personality, wit, objects and candor.

Not simply for host purposes, but for the personal satisfaction of the senses-- a baiting of the senses-- the nursery comforts deprived of childhood, the vice which can be controlled, the sensuality which is so important to pleasure, ranknig one level below sex. Sex, power and food are the three ultimate highs coming from nature.

The 18th century saw the finest examples of gluttony and orgiastic heights since the time of the roman empire. The theme of the era was 'out-do', so to speak-- with each new aristocrat full-blown in the attempt to out-rank and surpass the other in a whilwind of social-climbing techniques.

Also, the rich of the day were fat. It was expected that the rich, able to afford both prodigeous and rich varieties of food ans a sedentary, liesurely lifestyle, would be fat. However, it was not looked highly upon, those fat in body are presumed to have abounding appetites put to no use other than pleasure, sybaritic voluptuaries and self-obsessed worshippers at the temple of one's own senses. Also in the Catholic atmospheres of Adirai, sin was equated-- one who cannot control primal urges and moderate to a degree (i.e. temperance), that person is low on spiritual tastes.

From the beginning, the nature of Inmedae's physical appearance is described (to Anice) by individuals as being "a very fat young man", and he in fact is. Standing short of 5-foot-5, he fluctuates in the first half of the story at 180-190, and later in the range of 200 and exces poundage. Given to excesses, which he is reluctant to curb, he no less is unhappy with his physique, although portliness adds to his higher-standing and social aspects of extreme upper class and the appearance of a life of pleasure. Part of it is the want to curb himself, to control himself, to fill gaps in vanity, and to worrly little of health-- and, of course, to appear adequet and attractive by others and the world around. His weight is constantly lampooned and satirized by presses and journalism, columnists and cartoonists, and is a subject of joke for many social creatures. That he is only 30 and so 'abominably fat' is a source of finger-shaking to disapprovers, allowing for allusions to the dangers of sinfulness. Inmedae laughs about himself, but this humor is halfly-covered sentiment. He is in constant fear of being found unnattractive, particularly to Sites, who sees him in the most intimate light possible, and is his closest confidant. His fear of being inadequet, to his family (he knows, for example, that family members at his uncle's funeral are 'sizing him up', that these individuals are 'looking for a scapegoat in his skin'.) This fear also plays with the embarrassment felt by retreating back to family, with whom he hasen't met with over a span of time-- the 'how you've grown'-paranoia, not relegated to bodily concerns, but to personal failings in many arenas, duty, failure to grow as a person and the failure to become sucessful at 'anything'. Gaining weight is a mild nuisense, fashion-wise, but before the jury of family, father and siblings being closest in that arena, it is the symbol for all things failed before their eyes.

Several attempts have been made to relegate weight, usually with concern for Sites in mind, but the abandonment to the absolute pleasure of the table is the defining blow.

Description of bodily features relating to weight :

Portly, large round protruding stomach, copious in waistcoat, chains made long so not as to be afflicted with the fat gentleman's problem of stretched watchcains. plump knees and dimples at joints. double chin apparant and heavily pronounced when smiling, round and red apple cheeks, blotched like most overweight individuals. Chubby dimpled fingers and fat wrists, rings surrounded by little bands of fat. cheeks squeezing his eyes tight and glistening when smiling largely and laughing. Fat-smoothed skin of chest with absence of collar bones and small pockets of fat where his arms meet the chest. smallish plump feet and shapelty dimpled ankles. Ample, but not overly large, rear, curving and fat-firm, soft and supple-skinned thighs tapering to dimpled rosy knees. Not very good legs, short but shapely in stockings, and plumply, shortly contained. Jovial, shaking, good-living and voluptuary aristocratic fatness.

Inmedae and Money

Inmedae and Relationships

Inmedae and Familial Role

Inmedae and his Childhood

Inmedae and his Mother

-Seldom breastfed, but permitted to at the age of eight.

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Inmedae and his Father

Inmedae and his Siblings

Inmedae and Homosexuality