The cover picture shows Luilekkerland ('lazy sweet land'), as depicted by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1567). This is a fantasy land where food is ready to jump into your mouth, as shown by the egg that runs around waiting to be eaten. The three orders of society, represented by a peasant, a soldier and a clerk, lie on the ground, stuffed with food. In English legend, this fantasy world was known as the Kingdom of Cockaigne. The fantasy became reality in some parts of the world by the end of the 12th century, in the guise of the consumer society. Pinkney et al. discuss the consequences in their Editorial 'The big fat bariatric bandwagon' in the present issue of Diabetologia (53: 1815-1822).
Cover credit: Published with permission from BPK, Berlin/München, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Alte Pinakothek
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