IMHO, this is a cognitive trap. People tend to think hindsight is 20/20. I don't think it is. I think one must force themselves to analyze past decisions based on the information they had at the time they made that decision. Looking at things any other way is a recipe for unhappiness.


I view this analogy as a loss of perspective. In my youth at thanksgiving dinner, I would laugh when my father would claim he was thankful to be healthy, safe, alive, with shelter and something to eat. These things seemed so trivial to me and suggested to me that his expectations must be pretty low. But when one considers that only a very small percentage of the people who have ever lived get to routinely achieve that state, it seems less trivial.

Said differently, the old man might consider the utility of eating over the utility of the food tasting good. I imagine if the old man hasn't eaten for a while, this is what occurs. This is not to say one can't desire good tasting food, just that one should not lose sight of the fact that bad tasting food is not the lowest things can go.

BTW, I'm not trying to change your mind on things, just throwing out things to consider.