Spice Of Life

Food is a physical product we ingest and enjoy, but it is much more than eye candy to our palate. Behind this delectable curtain lies the window to who we are and feel as human beings. Food is the transformational fabric that encompasses our circle of loving life. Outside of the daily nourishment needed for our body, its significance to our self-portrayal cannot be understated.

There are many facets one can gain from the presence of food. Food inherently connects to our memory. What we eat can conjure up a happy or stressful moment(s) in time. One frequently comes to mind was when my son and I flew to the East Coast to attend his baseball showcase event and visit several colleges. During an evening visit to Long Island, NY, we ate at a quaint and authentic Italian restaurant found through a drive-by. To this day, all we could vividly recall was sharing an incredibly delicious salad topped with fresh fruits and nuts! Out of all the productive things we did on the trip, the salad dish remains the sole standout memory of our special father-son moments. Also quite bizarre is he and I cannot even remember the restaurant’s name, the section of town it is in, or the entrees we ordered.

On the other hand, when has food made us feel emotionally ill? One had occurred when I was having chili relleno for lunch at work. My phone rang, and I answered it with the gut-wrenching news from my sister that my brother had just passed away from his arduous battle with throat cancer. A point in time had put an awful vice grip on my heart and mind. I am now at peace with myself to eat this menu item again, but for a long time avoided its link to that dreadful hour. Have you found yourself in instances where food played a memorable role in the good and bad times? 

What comes to your mind in the act of cooking food? It is not just a daily task to fill our stomachs but a transcending experience to be whole. Cooking provides an energetic contact with the food we eat. Everyone can participate together in the process too, where verbal exchanges are heartfelt and flow well, and to see the smiles on their faces is soothing. Likewise, this beautiful ritual is contemplative and starts when you prepare the ingredients, cut and slice vegetables, stir the pot, or check the oven. Undoubtedly, we have an invaluable teacher that is therapeutic for our livelihood. It helps to culture patience, creativity, passion, calmness, and the loving nature of self and those around you. So love and apply the art of cooking, for it is good for the soul.

Food brings people together from all walks of life. Even the ones you have just met, sharing a table with them around food begins to fill the air with joyful conversations, laughter, and lighthearted morale. It is like being in a village with your lifelong best friends. Nothing can be more spiritually satisfying than to have food shine human connectivity to its optimal state. And in addition, the mere smell of food can send you back in time to an earlier part of your life, say of an event, place, or travel. Even with sweets, my 93-year-old father-in-law tells me of one specific candy that brought wonderful early childhood memories in Sweden, and despite searching/sniffing far and wide, he never found it again. Fascinating how smells trigger vivid memories through the olfactory bulb in our brain.

Finally, it is easy to be you when food provides a clear path to feeling rejuvenated in mind and body, embracing familial and communal interaction, showing ethnic pride, having fun, and bathing in life with aliveness. Food allows us to radiate elation from within and is satisfying to “feed.” Be in the moment and treat it as an experience of meaningful proportions. Food is the divine spice we can all learn from and engage in with excitement.