Staying with some friends for whom food is important recently gave me an opportunity to connect with the food we prepared to together to a greater degree than I might otherwise. We planned what we were going to eat, and how we were going to cook it, before shopping to source our ingredients - not in a supermarket, but visiting different stores for the components of our creation. As I washed, peeled, and chopped it struck me that the hands-on approach provided a wonderful opportunity to engage more mindfully with the food, which we prepared and later ate. I was altogether more present than I might otherwise have been - as we chose the vegetables, and then weighed them, I noticed the colours which seemed more vivid, and came into contact with their textures, the variety of which I hadn't anticipated. As I went about cutting and slicing, I noticed how the knife punctured the skin, before gliding through the fruity flesh. I heard it, I smelt it. I was there. I was fully there. Timing the cooking, and coordinating the different elements of the dish, I felt present, and engaged. It caused me to commence a new experiment starting with the commitment that when cooking, I will try cooking rather than checking emails, catching up on the news, half watching television or chatting on the phone. Food seems to tastes better.
“Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.”
Buddha
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