You Are What You Eat

An Exploration into Terence McKenna's "Food of the Gods," Just in Time for Thanksgiving

For years my grandmother (Yiayai) celebrated Thanksgiving with Terence McKenna. If you’re unfamiliar with McKenna, he was a renowned ethnobotanist active from the 1970s - 1990s, famous for championing the study of psychedelics. And if you don’t know my Yiayia, you’re missing out.

Yiayia immigrated to Hawaii from Portugal as a teen, dedicated her life to creating, arguably, the most beautiful garden on the Big Island, and was McKenna’s next-door neighbor. Despite never consuming any mind-altering substances — including anything stronger than a single glass of wine with dinner— and using words like “hippies” and “intellectuals” as if they were slurs, Yiayia adored McKenna: the renowned intellectual hippie.

McKenna and Yiayai bonded over their shared love of botany, with McKenna often borrowing Yiayia’s tools to tend to his garden, which, according to her, was filled with illegal plants: “As I weeded my garden,” she’d say, “he weeded his.” Yiayia loved asking McKenna endless questions about history and philosophy, and she delighted in how he made complex theories digestible and enjoyable, never speaking down to her despite her lack of formal education. The only thing he wouldn’t share was his own psychedelic experiences once saying: “I could tell you about the pudding, and it would take weeks, or you could taste it.”

The last time I visited Yiayia, I borrowed a copy of his acclaimed book, Food of the Gods, nestled between Portuguese cookbooks and botanical handbooks. In his book, McKenna proposes that human cognitive evolution was directly influenced by psychoactive plants. He introduces his “Stoned Ape Theory,” proposing that when apes descended from the trees, they encountered Psilocybe cubensis, a psychedelic mushroom containing psilocybin. McKenna suggests that consuming low doses could have improved visual acuity, helping apes survive their new environment, while slightly higher doses may have induced euphoria, strengthening social bonds. He also speculates that larger doses could have altered the apes’ thought processes, potentially sparking the development of early language, creativity, and self-awareness. In his view, the mushroom was the real-life “forbidden fruit” alla Eden, with its widespread use serving as a pivotal catalyst for the rise of human consciousness.

One section, titled “You Are What You Eat,” draws on ancient philosophy and traditions, to reveal how eating was historically honored as an act of connection and transformation, a way to merge with the spirit of what was consumed and absorb its qualities. Indeed, McKenna writes, “Eating a plant or an animal is a way of claiming its power, a way of assimilating its magic to oneself.” Through this lens, McKenna positions psychedelic plants as sacred, living messengers and argues that by consuming them, one has the opportunity to merge with their intelligence, accessing numinous wisdom. 

His book also explores how the normalization of mindless consumption—whether of factory-farmed meat, distilled alcohol, processed sugar, or passive media—affects us both individually and collectively. He challenges us to reflect on the significance of consumption, and be more intentional in our choices, prompting the question: If we are what we eat, who do we want to be?

I am deeply grateful to Yiayia for feeding my love of gardening, especially for teaching me the importance of honoring the unique role each plant plays within its ecosystem. Notably, I’ve always been fascinated by the vital role fungi play within an environment— breaking down organic material, improving nutrient flow to plants, and helping to enhance plants’ ability to withstand environmental stressors. 

Drawing Yiayia’s botanical philosophy, and McKenna’s “you are what you eat” ethos, I’ve been pondering the parallels between psychedelic mushrooms' role within their environments and their effect on our psyche. More specifically, Is there a relationship between fungi’s ecological role—supporting and connecting their environment—and their influence on human consciousness? Does consuming them enable us to momentarily assimilate fungi’s connective and healing qualities within us? 

Just an idea to chew on while gnawing on your turkey leg.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

By Eva Fexy