Bitter is sweet to hungry men.

Severe hunger can make even unpleasant or unpalatable food seem welcome. Need changes what a person can accept and how they judge comfort, quality, or taste.

More broadly, deprivation lowers the threshold for satisfaction: what would normally be rejected may appear valuable when better choices are unavailable. The saying stresses necessity rather than genuine preference.

Use it when scarcity or urgent need makes someone accept an option they would ordinarily dislike, literally or figuratively. Because it can sound stark when applied to real hunger or hardship, use it with tact in such contexts.