Tummy troubles

Picked up Penguins' "The Culture of the Abdomen" yesterday, the title & cover illustrations reminded me of the special relationship I've got with my stomach. Maybe, just maybe, I've been a little too peckish since Christmas. The look of disgust on James' face when I ask for 'thirds' assures me I should probably slow down.

Fortunately, the book contains some valuable information on how I can get my stomach back to the glory days of 2002. First published in 1924, the '57 edition I've got isn't shy of it's success: "This book has been responsible for the restoration of waistline and bowel function in so many thousands of individuals during the last few years." Will I be one of them? Well, with photo plates a' plenty - the book gives many helpful tips...



I was refreshed by the above, an honest role model. Look at him, he's not afraid of weight gain (or age). He's willing to give tips on how to lose it, but he's not exactly Adonis, he's one of us*. Compared to today's 'culture of the abdomen' it all seems very dated...



*Sorry to bracket you, however taut your abs may be, as 'one of us'. Was just a way of bringing us closer, reader and writer united in a nostalgia for the stomach that was.