We all adore eating. We look forward to it when we wake up, we think about it at various moments throughout the day, and it tends to be one of the most exciting things to consider before going to sleep. Should we look at it from a broader perspective, we can say that we live for good food. Though, at what point in the year do you feel your cravings and eating habits are most in tune with your body and mind, where eating is the most enjoyable activity in the world? For most of us the answer would be summer. Picture the scene: We're all outside basking in the sun, feasting on the simplest, freshest meals that can be offered. Glorious spreads of vibrant fruit, a full array of tender, grilled meats and seafood, perfectly arranged trays of cheeses, breads, vegetables, and pleasant desserts that are guaranteed to leave us satiated for outdoor activities, and seconds to come shortly after! Why, though, is eating this time of year so significant? Because in these moments, this is what it means to feel alive, to truly eat like a human. Our appetites in this season are so simple, yet leave us feeling the most powerful and full of life. We possess vigor, we're driven to be active, and we're more than delighted to stay outside and feast solely on what the earth provides for us. Our happiness knows no end, and a great deal of this is attributed to what our bodies are being fed. In light of such seasonal bliss, I am urged to question why we don't choose to eat like this year round. Why should we allow the seasons to determine our quality of life, and not our willful nourishment? Why is modern civilization compelled to eat according to how they are told, and not how they would like to? What do most tend to omit from their plates or perhaps include too much of? And lastly, to what depth does creativity play a role in preparing our meals? Let us examine these questions to truly discern what it means to eat like a human.
If we're to adhere to the joyous means of eating that is being examined, what is something that we could readily identify if we were to truly realign our perception of food and get back to how we should be nourishing ourselves? One answer would be the number natural colors on your plate. Yes, the display of a seemingly marvelous work of art that is painted from the palette of the very earth itself, crafted for the sake of flavor, joy, and nutrition. Ask yourself, how vibrant do your meals appear when you are finished assembling them? What are they representing? Do they compel you to take photographs of them to share with others, or do they appear as sad as you feel when eating them? The idea when crafting and plating our food is that we should feel proud of what we have made, as they should reflect a natural embodiment of what was used and included when making it. If you find this is generally not the end result, find what it is you are either not including, or including too much of. For example, are you neglecting the gems that are fruits and vegetables? Is there an overabundance of grains or starches in your dinner? Do you forget the magic the world of various spices and garnishes can bestow upon your breakfast? Are your ingredients cooked to a degree where all color (therefore bioavailability) has been negated to a grey, lifeless pile of despair? Luxurious hues of reds, greens, oranges, pinks and purples are where the richest nutrients sleep, so we must be mindful that the slightly less cooked or boiled our meals are, then the more divine they appear, thus the healthier and more flavorful they will be. Our ancestors knew this, so the importance of a variety of colors in diet would not have been something they would have had to worry about, but for us we must come to understand this once again and revive our own way.
While some may say "raw is law", this rigid idea of diet could inhibit one other crucial principle, that being the ability to weave creativity into our nourishment. As human beings, we are the only species that can take our food sources and think outside the box with them. We can see and smell and taste and touch what there is, and envision and bring to life what they can be. What an amazing capability to ponder! While single-ingredient meals may be the easiest, simplest and at times the most satiating of all, it is our God-given ability to incorporate our own personality into our cuisine that really awakens the joy in crafting and sharing in the meals of our lifetimes. While one may see milk, eggs, flour and sugar, another may see the building blocks to something else entirely. While I may see a cut of beef and glass of red wine as an acceptable meal, you may see two crucial ingredients for an artisanal, slow-cooked stew. The design and creation of eye-opening cuisine is boundless and without law. The limit is our own imagination, and we have more ingredients, tools and sources of inspiration than we could ever dream of. An entire world of different cultures and regions exist for us to appreciate and emulate from the beginning of civilization to now, and there are those who still unknowingly keep their eyes shut from such a universe! Let us not be fooled by the rigid dogma of modernity's kitchen.
Whenever we consider how modern society eats and how our ancient ancestors must have eaten, we are likely to compare the two as day and night. We regard them almost as separate worlds, with no similarity save for the fact that food was not as readily available as it is now due to advancements. While this is an accurate comparison, the current convenience of acquiring food is hardly the greatest or sole difference of eating between modern and ancient society. In what ways? Outside of accessibility and the actual hunting, gathering, and preserving that would have taken place then, the habits that our predecessors would have possessed regarding food would pale in comparison to those most cling to now. What do we do when we're bored? We eat. What do we do when we're stressed? We eat. What do we do when we are told we should? We eat. This can go on, but the issue summarized is that we structure our eating habits almost completely around external events and the mainstream paradigm of consumption. We think with our stomachs, and then allow the masses to choose from the menu, which usually isn't the best decision. However, what if we were to allow the past to choose? Primarily, our habits would be radically different. There would be limited impulse eating, as having a meal would be regarded as a time of ritual and appreciation for the bounty shared alongside others, seldom alone. Second, there would be no room for eating our feelings, especially with having gotten rid of garbage that would likely only worsen our emotional state. And lastly, there surely would not be any eating based on marketing ploys or misled ideas of health, as what would be consumed would be nutrients directly from nature itself, knowing that what is prepared will provide ample satisfaction and lasting health.
Having a meal should be a grand period of appreciation, balance, and values that are derived from the effort having gone into acquiring such food. In having this awareness, not only does everything taste better but every morsel is consumed mindfully, relishing the privilege of being able to share in such a meal with acquaintances or those we hold dear. Vitality and sheer life force are what our meal should provide, comprised of bountiful, beautiful ingredients and dishes like the summer feast examined above. As the past would not be burdened with poisonous, preserved, or processed foods that we've been led to indulge in nor would they eat anything simply because they're told to, what is stopping us from doing the same? Today's brain is a city of bricks with the modern filth it's fed, but it could be a city of marble. When the time comes that you decide to stop reading and watching, and instead venture out on your own into the beautiful world of gastronomy, pay attention to how your mind and body and palate will react to the now scorned, once treasured foods of the earth. Allow your curiosity to lead your tastebuds, and life will find you again. After all, If our ancients did not have administrations and Youtube telling them what they should eat, then why should you?
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