Holy Communion or Ritualistic Cannibalism?

It is interesting to see the things we have been thought to believe. According to catholic dogma, during consecration bread and wine are transformed into the flesh and blood of Jesus himself. Then we are expected to eat this flesh and drink this blood, for purposes that really escape my memory but are supposed to get us to achieve communion with Jesus.
In antiquity, people believed that if they killed their enemies and ate their flesh, they would attain some of their good attributes (bravery, courage, whatever). This belief seems to have rubbed off onto early christianity, as we are expected to eat of Jesus' flesh, not to acquire his divine attributes (wouldn't that be a supreme arrogance?) but to achieve communion with him, to be closer to him, I guess.
Well, I agree I could not be any closer to my food; it really is in me. What happens when I am done with my food, however, I would not wish to my closest friends so I still wonder why we would want Jesus to suffer that ignominy. When I want to be close to my wife, I get physically close or intellectually close, as in a very deep conversation; I still have not had any desire of eating her flesh to be closer and I hope I do not get that urge. I don't think I would get any closer and then, the closeness would only be temporal as the flesh makes its way through my digestive system and then goes away... for good. Maybe that is why we have to commune every week or, in the case of very devout catholics and priests, every day.
Of course, this is assuming the bread and wine are really transformed into the flesh and blood of the Son of God. In reality, it really tastes like a rather insipid and carboard-like bread and a rather cheap wine so that the ritual is only that, a going through the motions in order to mimic the real thing. Which does not get me any closer to Jesus.