When you die you no longer remember (if you do then you're not dead), so it doesn't really matter. What matters is a life full of meaningful moments, not symbolic ones.
Furthermore, symbols are largely how our species interprets and experiences reality.
Symbols provide meaning. Without them, moments are mere streams of phenomenon.
Otherwise, you're just hijacking short term reward systems and facilitating the consumption of empty calories to the (health) detriment of all parties involved.
There's no inherent meaning in the scenario.
Sounds like you are conflating meaning with the felt quality of immediate experience.
You seem to be conflating "am I enjoying this moment?" with "does what I'm doing matter?"
Food preferences / aversions are a product of culture.
The ability to ask both "am I enjoying this moment?" and "does what I'm doing matter?" is a byproduct of symbolic thinking. Culture is both the vector for those symbols and the product of them.
That doesn't follow from anything the grandparent said.
> Food preferences / aversions are a product of culture.
They are certainly subjective, and culture has some influence on them, but “product of culture” is far overstating the case. Food preferences exist without culture for purely (though still varying across individuals, because biology does) biological reasons.
> The ability to ask both "am I enjoying this moment?" and "does what I'm doing matter?" is a byproduct of symbolic thinking.
Insofar as all use of language is, and this the ability to ask any question framed in words is, certainly. It's less clear whether the ability to distinguish momentary enjoyment from significance is, because we don't really have address to the cognitive processes of those without access to language.
> Culture is both the vector for those symbols and the product of them.
This may also overstste the influence of culture, but it does so less than the prior example.
And yeah, everyone is aware you don't remember anything when you die. When I die, I want to die in a way that impacts those left behind, because like you said, I won't remember it but they will.
https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2017/01/holographic-unive...