"arent you hungry" in reaction to unthinking self-deprevation response to trauma is going to haunt me forever actually.
something about suppressing your needs to feel safe and in control. something about someone not admiring the endurance or self-control but instead asking "aren't you hungry," a question which you are entirely unequipped to answer. "Aren't you hungry?" Aren't you impressed I can tune it out? I worked hard for that, for everyone else's sake, don't you get it? "Aren't you hungry?" I don't know, stop asking me questions I can't answer, why is answering so easy for you? "Aren't you hungry?" All I'm any good at figuring out is how much longer I can go without eating, and I thought that was the same, but it's not, is it?
Oh, tumblr recommending me this post was serendipitous. I'm glad other people are feeling this way because I seriously haven't stopped thinking about that moment and Kabru's shocked reaction since I first read it. He really is unequipped.
I only alluded to this idea in my original post (frankly I was self conscious about how long it was feeling), but what I see as one of the core themes about food in Dungeon Meshi is the idea that eating is a declaration to the world that you deserve to be in it. When we kill and consume another living thing to survive, we are making an active choice to take up space. We're saying I want to be here. This is important for Laios, who has spent most of his life running from the world or being rejected by it in small ways. It's through his journey as an active participant in the dungeon's food chain that he comes into his own and asserts his right to belong in the world, with all its mundane heartaches and joys, enough that he can step up to become king by the end.
So when Laios asked Kabru Aren't you hungry? It felt like the narrative speaking to Kabru directly. Kabru, aren't you hungry? Aren't you a creature with needs? Don't you want to be here too? Don't you deserve to live?
And the answer to all of these is No. Yes. It's complicated.
To me, this is even more of a turning point for Kabru than his cooking efforts in the dungeon. He was willing to deal with monster food in order to help another person who couldn't help themselves, and to stay alive for his ultimate goal, but it still made him miserable.
This is the second time Laios offers to feed him, and the first time in the story that anyone offers to feed Kabru in a way that won't end up hurting him. Laios wanting to share a real meal with him but willing to compromise to respect Kabru's desires clearly means a lot to him. It's Laios saying Come eat with me and Kabru saying Yes.
