Eating or Drinking?

[skyhint]

How do you define eating or drinking?

What would you call each of these examples:

You have a bowl of water and are using a spoon to put the water in your mouth.
Are you eating water, or drinking water?

You have a bowl of icecream and you lift the bowl to your lips, tilt it so the icecream falls to your lips and swallowing onky the melted parts.
Are you eating icecream, or drinking icecream.

You have a bowl of soup and use a spoon to put it in your mouth.
Is that eating soup, or drinking soup?
Does it matter what kind of soup it is.
What if it is a thick liquid kind of soup like tomato or squash? www.freefoto.com/images/09/17/09_17_6---Tomato-Soup_web.jpg
What if it is a chunky kind of soup with noodles, meat, and veggies? 2.bp.blogspot.com/_UIXOn06Pz70/SYeH1h86B6I/AAAAAAAAGFs/sh8HvTf-WbM/s800/Salmon+Noodle+Soup+500.jpg

Give me your opinions on this issue.

[Stranger]

Thank you for raising this. I think it's about time we get to the bottom of this longstanding issue.

Jul 18, 2009 16:42:44 GMT -5 skyhint said:

You have a bowl of water and are using a spoon to put the water in your mouth.
Are you eating water, or drinking water?

Eating.

Jul 18, 2009 16:42:44 GMT -5 skyhint said:

You have a bowl of icecream and you lift the bowl to your lips, tilt it so the icecream falls to your lips and swallowing onky the melted parts.
Are you eating icecream, or drinking icecream.

Drinking.

Jul 18, 2009 16:42:44 GMT -5 skyhint said:

You have a bowl of soup and use a spoon to put it in your mouth.
Is that eating soup, or drinking soup?

Eating.

Jul 18, 2009 16:42:44 GMT -5 skyhint said:

Does it matter what kind of soup it is.
What if it is a thick liquid kind of soup like tomato or squash? www.freefoto.com/images/09/17/09_17_6---Tomato-Soup_web.jpg
What if it is a chunky kind of soup with noodles, meat, and veggies? 2.bp.blogspot.com/_UIXOn06Pz70/SYeH1h86B6I/AAAAAAAAGFs/sh8HvTf-WbM/s800/Salmon+Noodle+Soup+500.jpg

No difference.

[GoldenRose82]

To me, I think that eating refers to the act of chewing. So if you have to chew on whatever you're consuming before you swallow it, then you are eating it. If it is a liquid, obviously you don't have to chew it, so you would be engaging in the act called "drinking." Although when it comes to soup, most people will still say they are eating it, even if it is just liquid w/o any veggies or meat in it. I'm not sure why...