"they resorted to canniballism when they were hungry, and not starving"
I'm not sure on the above sentence. Please bear in mind I have only seen the film and NOT read the book...
If my memory serves me right it was 60 days (or there abouts) before they were rescued. The food was gone after 7 days. At what point after the 7 days would they be starving? Or at what point do you succumb to one of the final taboos mankind has, and eat human flesh?
Its impossible to say for certain, and it will vary with each person. However even after 2 days without food, I know i could eat the backend off a donkey!
Take that to 3 weeks, (21 days) add sub zero temperatures, the fact half your colleagues are dead or dying, and the realisation your not going to be found.... Who knows what you might do. You may not be technically starving, but I'll bet you ain't feeling too good
Now add another 40 days onto that. All the mental preperation in the world will probably have been used up - if you don't eat something soon, you won't have a life to worry about such matters.
Starving or not - you eat or you WILL die.
DISCLAIMER: I am not advocating canabalism nor have I ever eaten or thought about eating human flesh. Just so no one gets the wrong idea!!!
Martin