Hahaha, I love it!! My girl is in shed right now, I haven't checked on her yet this morning, but I'm guessing her eyes cleared since I checked on her yesterday, so I'll be feeding her in a few days. I may try to feed her without the tongs. Something tells me she will still be super gentle about it. She only fed "aggressively" once, the one and only time I just dangled the mouse in front of her hide. Typically I will handle my snakes for a bit prior to eating. I know, not everybody's chosen method, but it has worked for me as well as each of my snakes. So I go with it...
I love the whale eating plankton analogy, btw!! Well said!