I read in college a journal passage from a Benedictine monk in France from the late 1400s or early 1500s. The Benedictine monks at that time considered gluttony to be consuming any amount and food or beverage that would not be required for basic human nourishment. They also considered eating expensive food that isn’t necessary for living but rather a luxury gluttony. What is gluttony considered today by the church? As a chef working in fine dining I cook and serve luxurious food and do enjoy par…
Besides which, it is better to give a man work at a fair wage than to give him alms. If by our pleasure, we are able to keep men employed and able to support their families, this is better than almsgiving (though of course, it is not a substitute for almsgiving, for there are some who cannot work).
Monks are under a vow of poverty; consuming luxury foods would be excessive to them. It is no sin for a layman to partake of luxury foods if he can afford to do so or is invited by a host who can (provided, of course, that doing so is not done in violation of the laws of fasting or abstinence).
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Gluttony and what do we consider it today? Moral Theology