Vampires eating and stuff

[taraswizard]

There are least two instances when Angel tells Buffy one of the reasons vampires don't eat human food, besides the whole it does not sustain vampires, is they cannot taste it being dead and all. (the first instance I think is in the Bronze when Buffy and Angel meet on some other manner and of course one has Angel's reaction to food in IWRY). HOwever, I learned in HS science classes that our experience of taste is not entirely tied into the sensory sensations we receive from our taste buds, and that our sense of smell has a very large roll to play into our sensations of taste of food. AND, we know that vampires have a superior sense of smell (examples, "you have Angel breath", 'Spike's scent is all over you'). So is this just something that was overlooked at the time? Or did our beloved Mutant Enemy writers not have as good education in human physiology as some?

[luna]

You are like the best, I never thought of thi and it's totally true!

[siredbyspike]

Good Point, I had never really thought about this before. But then again if they don't have to breathe, they just do it to blend in sometimes...then how do they smell? Lol. I always just assumed that they could eat food (remember Spike loved blooming onions) and they could taste it- but that it just didn't sate them like blood so it was just a muchie type thing. But then that theory of mine was contradicted when Angel becomes human for like a day, and he and Buffy have the whole conversation about ice cream, and he asks her why she never told him about peanut butter and chocolate. Maybe they are like feral animals, and blood tastes better to them than human food would? I would imagine a wild predatory animal would rather hunt and eat living prey than peanut butter..although if they were hungry enough the peanut butter would be eaten, just not savored?

[Skytteflickan88]

I don't think the ordinary biological rules apply to vamps. I mean, they don't need to go to the bathroom, don't breath, so let's assume that something goes wonky with their smell-sense too.

And siredbyspike, I think that vamps can't taste or dislike human food when they're vamps, and when Angel got turned into a human, his tastes changed. Because vamps and humans have different diets and that makes them like different things.

But it is weird, if Angel said that they couldn't taste food. Maybe he meant that it didn't taste good?

[zoelee]

i agree with all too, but sometimes u have to change things in film and tv. like maybe sometimes the actors might be hungery and u dont want them to have rumbly bellys in a scene, there's things that ive wondered, like how do vampires have intimate sexual encounters when theres no blood flow as they are also dead? dont shoot me just a thought!

[zorthrip]

Dec 6, 2008 9:12:36 GMT -5 Skytteflickan88 said:

I don't think the ordinary biological rules apply to vamps. I mean, they don't need to go to the bathroom, don't breath, so let's assume that something goes wonky with their smell-sense too.

I think this theory of them not following normal biological rules is proved even more by the fact that they are dead, yet not.

[xaphania]

I've seen it fanwanked that their tastebuds are still there, but dulled in a vampire. So that's why Spike has a fondness for spicy things like buffalo wings and the flowering onion, and why Angel exclaimed over the taste of the food when he became human. Makes sense to me, so I'm gonna go with that

[wenxina]

Funny thing is... I'm pretty sure there's garlic powder in the seasoning of Buffalo wings...

[Hellbound Hyperion]

For quick reference, some episodes when Angel and Spike eat food:

-Buffy S4 "Hush" - Spike tells Giles he likes to mix in Wheetabix with his blood to give it "texture".
-Angel S3 "Carpe Noctem" - the geriatric (whose name escapes me at the moment) in Angel's body eats something (pizza? Chinese food? Again I don't remember) while the gang discusses what to do next.

Spike is also an avid drinker, as we've seen many times.

[The Night Lord]

Spike probably just drinks a lot cuz he likes the effects and he can do when he's smashed on alcohol. Gives him a whole new level of bravado, which means he can do more crazy things lol

[Hellbound Hyperion]

Jun 11, 2009 0:42:36 GMT -5 The Night Lord said:

Spike probably just drinks a lot cuz he likes the effects and he can do when he's smashed on alcohol. Gives him a whole new level of bravado, which means he can do more crazy things lol

Well, he's all about the bad boy vibe, and holding your liquor is certainly a classic archetype of the bad boy.

[gumgnome]

Spike also steals burba weed in "All the Way" because it makes the blood taste "all hot'n spicy". He obviously does taste things. My fanwank of this would be that to vampires who are feeding on human blood, it is sooo much nicer than anything else that food would be like ashes in comparison. Once Spike is neutered, he gradually builds up an appreciation for food as memory of how good blood is fades over time.
But I guess this wouldn't explain why Angel doesn't eat any food, even though he's been without human blood (for the most part) for 100 years.

[rebeccaplant]

Nov 27, 2008 15:47:41 GMT -5 taraswizard said:

There are least two instances when Angel tells Buffy one of the reasons vampires don't eat human food, besides the whole it does not sustain vampires, is they cannot taste it being dead and all. (the first instance I think is in the Bronze when Buffy and Angel meet on some other manner and of course one has Angel's reaction to food in IWRY). HOwever, I learned in HS science classes that our experience of taste is not entirely tied into the sensory sensations we receive from our taste buds, and that our sense of smell has a very large roll to play into our sensations of taste of food. AND, we know that vampires have a superior sense of smell (examples, "you have Angel breath", 'Spike's scent is all over you'). So is this just something that was overlooked at the time? Or did our beloved Mutant Enemy writers not have as good education in human physiology as some?

Well, this would explain why Spike loves hot wings and those onion things so much. Their sense of smell could definitely contribute to their enjoyment of human food.

[Hellbound Hyperion]

Jun 11, 2009 5:40:36 GMT -5 gumgnome said:

Spike also steals burba weed in "All the Way" because it makes the blood taste "all hot'n spicy". He obviously does taste things. My fanwank of this would be that to vampires who are feeding on human blood, it is sooo much nicer than anything else that food would be like ashes in comparison. Once Spike is neutered, he gradually builds up an appreciation for food as memory of how good blood is fades over time.
But I guess this wouldn't explain why Angel doesn't eat any food, even though he's been without human blood (for the most part) for 100 years.

Maybe he doesn't see fit to eat because a) it doesn't do him any good and b) he associates taste and hunger with humanity, which he never really feels fit to have despite prophecy and character testaments by his friends.

Just a guess. He's tall, dark, and broody, it makes sense.

[wenxina]

Or the guy has the metabolism of a corpse, and whenever he eats, he bloats... just saying...

[gumgnome]

Jun 11, 2009 16:19:46 GMT -5 Hellbound Hyperion said:

Jun 11, 2009 5:40:36 GMT -5 gumgnome said:

Spike also steals burba weed in "All the Way" because it makes the blood taste "all hot'n spicy". He obviously does taste things. My fanwank of this would be that to vampires who are feeding on human blood, it is sooo much nicer than anything else that food would be like ashes in comparison. Once Spike is neutered, he gradually builds up an appreciation for food as memory of how good blood is fades over time.
But I guess this wouldn't explain why Angel doesn't eat any food, even though he's been without human blood (for the most part) for 100 years.

Maybe he doesn't see fit to eat because a) it doesn't do him any good and b) he associates taste and hunger with humanity, which he never really feels fit to have despite prophecy and character testaments by his friends.

Just a guess. He's tall, dark, and broody, it makes sense.

That works for me! Mystery solved!

[siredbyspike]

Jun 11, 2009 16:22:37 GMT -5 wenxina said:

Or the guy has the metabolism of a corpse, and whenever he eats, he bloats... just saying...

Haha, good one, Xi!

[N.D.U.O]

And about the breathing one - I think they can they just don't need to, or maybe they have to concentrate to breath.

So they can smoke or smell. But it's all pretty much useless.

[Reluctant Hero]

Doesn't Spike love certain human food? Something about a Blooming Onion?

[birdandbear]

Jun 11, 2009 16:19:46 GMT -5 Hellbound Hyperion said:

Maybe he doesn't see fit to eat because a) it doesn't do him any good and b) he associates taste and hunger with humanity, which he never really feels fit to have despite prophecy and character testaments by his friends.

Just a guess. He's tall, dark, and broody, it makes sense.

I pretty much agree. I think Angelus wouldn't have eaten food because it was beneath him as a vampire, and Angel was just too caught up in brooding to give it a thought. Spike isn't the only vampire that eats (and presumably enjoys) food anyway. The vamps in Crush, when Spike takes Buffy to their nest as a false lead on the train murders, are making Jiffy Pop.