Affordances-spiritualiity-Aesthetics-health

Food-cooking-spirituality-aesthetics-health......i believe that they all go hand in hand: 

We all cook at some point in life and eat everyday, some 4 times a day and others more...... so how is food connected spiritually? We all have different preferences in life and different value systems...... whats good for the goose may not be good for the gander!
The act of cooking food, the methods and procedures, the food itself and the ingredients, used for cooking and eventually the presentation all should be in great harmony with each other like a well rehersed choir. i remember my grandmother's words on some occassion, for something i can't remember....but these words have stuck with me ever since....." Even animals and birds gather food for themselves and their young ones.... the difference with humans and them"  is our power and will and creativity to present our food in a palatable way." I suppose i will alwys carry those words with me, because i can be a bit of a perfectionist, when i present my cooked food. Sometimes it may not be a very palateble item of food, but if i put it well together with garnishings and creativity, it looks attractive and people would love to eat it...it has happened quite a few times in my life, especially young ones.... when you disguise salads and other vegetables that would require a battle of wills to be eaten. I believe in cleanliness is next to godliness, and i live by these principles therefore i present my food in a clean and clutter free environment. We have a ritual to always light a candle and sweet smelling insence at the table for dinners.... for aspiciousness and mellow ambience. a symbol of beauty, olfactory pleasentness. In my house evenings are quite sacred, where we all gather around the table to eat, but also thank God for the day gone by and slow down from the busiess of the day. To be able to unwind from the business of the day, amidst sweet smelling candles and a lovely warm cooked dinner. When dusk falls upon the ground, and all creatures upon the planet find a resting spot, it is quite apt to come home and feel how blessed we are to have a home and food on our table and think of unfortunate beings who have nothing. This is why we think it is very important to say grace and include everyone in our prayers and thoughts who are lonely and suffering......so we do our little bit of positive thinking and breathe a love and compassion form our little corner of the world. Gives us a sense of well being and makes us grounded as people and humans. We are after all the superior and lucky beings that God has created, so i feel that it is but the least i can do to make this world a better place to live in.
We eat everyday of our lives...... form the moment we are born we cry for food, ...and it is a part of our survival to eat and drink. However, i do believe that we can be mindful eaters and like many things in life, consumption of food needs discipline. I do believe that it is me who is in control and not food controllig me. I try my best to eat consciously and i consider my body to be the alter to my spirituality, where God resides, therefore i would not like to defile it with over- eating or too much junk food. I am quite a mindful eater and i try my best to eat healthy. I like to cook most of my food, and its possibly my culture too, but i like to eat lot of lentils and beans and vegetables as i was brought up this way. Food aand cooking and eating draws most cultures together, and that is the beauty of eating together and community survives and thrives when there are communal gatherings like this.
Culturally speaking, as an Indian, my culture is famous for gatherings that take place due to religious reasons and there is always food involved in these occassions....and that is what  remember form my childhood......lots of people, copious amounts of food, people celebrating a birth or mourning a death ...food was quite a central part of our living....... which puts into perspective, if you are happy, we must eat, and then if we are sad we must eat..... so emotions are connected with the intake of food......!!! It is not surprising that there are health issues as well as eating disorders when people cannot cope they target food...... Either you are in control or food is in control!!
When i was a little girl growing up in my house, i remember my grandmother sneaking in some vagabond, beggar and raggedy people in the back yard , away form the stern eyes of my grand father, and piling great amounts of rice and left over curry on to their plates..... i suppose that was her way of caring for the poor and hungry and doing her bit to feed the millions of hungry in India. It was no surprise to me and my sisters  when we returned form school to come home to a beggar sitting in one corner of the garden eating hungrily out of a plate..... and then he used to be piled with ll our old clothes, and spare blankets , before he was sent away hastily, before my grandfather could say much.........those memories now mke me smile....and gives me a great sense of peace and pride...... i do carry some of those traits in my genes..... i believe, and there is no greater joy than giving...surpasses the joy of receiving....!!....well i think i will leave it at that for tonight nd blog a bit more tomorrow..... it is very relaxing to blog about your past and jog those happy memories........ i am happy to share them with you all......