I'll give you some examples to prove that this model is already present in our langauge, then I'll explain the model behind it.
The lecture was dry.
We were sharing juicy, dripping gossip.
I have a bone to pick with you.
The small talk was only skin-deep.
So let's get into the meat of the topic.
So let's get into the meat of the topic.
I discovered that eating a rotisserie chicken (or any carcass) is an excellent metaphor for human conversation. Not only is this metaphor interesting to talk about (the meta-nature of which could be considered eating brain), it can be useful for both resolving conflict (picking bone), and getting to that juicy meat we all crave.
Chicken consumption generally incorporates navigating and swallowing skin, juice, meat, and bone. Other organs occasionally get involved.
Small talk -- some love it. But eating too much is an ick.
That nutrient dense, information rich part of the conversation. You could be:
I hope these examples elucidate that not all meat is equally balanced or desireable.
Protein and fat are the next natural division of meat. Proteins are the essential building blocks of the information. Fat is the excess, the detail which can be unnecessary, but satisfying. These properties separate a history class from a history podcast. Lecture content is designed to be lean. But information stripped down to only the essentials is damn dry. Some marbling of fat keeps the audience engaged.
I mentioned juice without explaining what it is in the meat section. I juice-droped. To be honest, I don't really know what it is. Is it blood? (no). I've heard the terms hemoglobin, myoglobin; I don't know. On its own, pretty distateful. But, in context we all love it deep down. And, the dose makes the poison.
The phrase juicy gossip is not a coincidence. It's not nutritious, it's often devoid of substance or bearing on the truth.
Conflict. Boundaries. Trauma. There's always good stuff if you work through it, but usually avoided.
This little post here would be an example of eating brain. Talking about talking. Meta-conversations. I love it, but it can be easy to go in a diaphanous loop. I've tried to elicit the affordances of the metaphor by using it's own vocabulary while describing it - a clever move I hope you picked up on. There's basically a valley of brain where a quick wall-break can be fun, overdoing it gets treacherous (looking at you, Deadpool), but layering it on as thick as molasses is pure gold (looking at you, Charlie Kaufman).
Conversations can have different structure. Some are a buffet, some are 5 course Omakase, and some are a microwaveable Amy's Chana Masala.
While we strive with glancing thrusts of thought to dig into a meaty conversation that fulfills our hunger for connection, I think we can find harmony by including all parts of the conversation. Even the parts that we reject are valuable for a diverse meal.