I developed a passion for food and cooking at a young age when I
realized that food is the center of life.
Food is everything. Food can
induce any emotion, bring people together or divide them apart. There’s food in your yard, the gas you put in
your tank is ancient, geologically fermented food, not to mention we are all
participating in one grand food chain that binds us all together under one
universal consciousness, or something. That
was my teenage idealism, which I still believe in, but it’s developed with
age. This food passion is what drove me
to become a Biology major and I have a sort of constant meditation churning
away inside my brain contemplating all things food. I had an experience earlier this year that
shook my beliefs on food and I realized on my bike-ride to work today that I
need to address this, so here it is.
I generally pride myself in being simultaneously conscious of the
things I eat, while respecting and partaking in the food of others. “You are what you eat” is a common saying
that I take seriously, in two ways. First, the molecules that make up what you
consume will be used to create and re-build your own flesh. Secondly, we all have an emotional
relationship with our food and I believe that we all take pride in or at least
enjoy food to some extent. Therefore,
what we eat is also an outward expression of who we are and by sharing food, we
are sharing ourselves. This is why I
don’t push my own food beliefs on other people.
Whenever I hear someone reject food that is offered to them, I am instinctively
offended. I feel like the person
rejecting is somehow culturally disrespecting the person who is offering food,
even if that’s not the intension. I’m
generally talking about vegetarians, vegans, raw-foodists, etc. - people who
have chosen a diet for reasons other than an allergy or diagnosed medical
condition. However, this raises the
question of what is the difference between food and medicine, and then how do
we culturally deal with the difference, if there is a difference? I eat the way that I do because it makes me
feel good and healthy. When I went to
visit family earlier this year I spent the week generally eating the way that
they eat and I ended up getting incredibly sick. Asian
cultures (Chinese, Indian, Japanese…) tend to blur the lines much more between
food and medicine than we do here in the US.
National Geographic recently reported on a new archeological find from some
ancient European civilization (Rome?): medicinal pills made out of onions, celery,
and other common vegetables that we would probably consider as food and not
medicine now.
So how do we develop and share a vibrant culture of food, if everyone
has their own individual eating habits?
I think what I’m beginning to realize is that it is about
communication. Communicating with yourself
to gain an intimate understanding of your body’s needs so that you can
communicate with others to let them know what you do or do not need. I think the key is going about it respectfully,
though, and discussing any foody disagreements with the understanding that everyone’s
body chemistry and culture is fairly different, and that’s okay.
