FOOD is my passion . I am obsessed with food ; I am addicted. Food controls me. I think about food all the time. What will I have for breakfast lunch or dinner ? What am I craving ? Hungry thoughts find me wandering round the local market or food halls allowing myself to be guided and seduced by all the scents of the produce on offer. My tasteuds are tickled and all my senses awaken. I even look forward to my daily food supplement - a shot of friendly bacteria flavoured with vanilla or blue and red berries. Oh the orgasmic pleasure derived from the thought of all the good bacteria in my gut fighting the good fight on my behalf . Yeah ! Even though I have a mind that is suspicious , discerning and curious I know for a fact it is also prone to seduction.
My respect for food is passionate too. I know that food is primarily fuel for the body but it is also important to fuel the body with food that is compatible with the body, heart, mind and soul. It is important to respect the source of food; the animal or the plant it came from and VITALLY important not to waste food . Only take what you need because food is life. Life needs food.
I am deeply disturbed and concerned that while I have the pleasure of eating till my belly is full there are millions of people around the world that are starving and the answer to the problem is not simply to send your leftovers to the starving children in Africa . It is for this reason I am grateful that my limited finances promote respect and do not encourage waste. There is no real reason why there should be starvation around the world. I believe there are answers and solutions. We have the technology . Great minds exist. We , collectively and individually need to ask the pertinent questions and the answers and solutions will follow - as the saying goes " Where there is a will there is a way ". We need to WANT a change in order to bring about a change.
Food is always on my conscience. I am forever asking myself questions. Is it organic ? Is it locally produced ? Is it ecologically friendly ? Is it free from additives and preservatives? Is it produced without suffering ? It bothers me that animals suffer and are mistreated. It bothers me that lobsters scream in pain. I used to adore the taste of lobster, it was a rare treat. Lobster I've eaten usually came out of tin and later savoured fresh at a restaurant in Athens if memory serves me. Nowadays , my conscience will not allow it . With awareness comes responsibility and choice. Apparently the only humane way to kill a lobster is with a swift and strategic chop. Twenty seconds in boiling hot water is a brutally long time if you happen to be a lobster
I stopped eating meat nearly 40 years ago. It all started when I started to meditate and consciously think about what it was that I was eating. Meat rapidly lost its attraction and very soon it felt as repulsive as eating someone's arm or leg or other plump body part. I do still eat fish , which makes me a pescatorian rather than vegetarian. Not long ago I heard about the devastation caused by the farming off tiger prawns.
I read about the shrimp farming in Bangladesh and I read what goes on in murky waters .
Will the video clip above help keep tiger prawns off your plate ? My passion enjoyment tiger prawns was significantly reduced with this awareness . I cannot bring myself to eat tiger prawns now without torturing my soul.
Sharing food with friends who appreciate my lovingly prepared food from scratch is probably my biggest passion. Sometimes a meal can be the result of considerable effort in planning and preparation . Other times a meal or snack can be a spontaneous affair when hunger strikes after lovemaking ; intimate meals or snacks , miraculously created from the contents of fridge , washed down with a bottle of fine wine and consumed half naked by candlelight or how about freshly made deliciously greasy beer- battered fish and chips eaten straight out of paper with your fingers ?
Simple unadulterated food is often the best: crusty homemade bread straight from the oven dipped in virgin olive oil with a spot of balsamic vinegar ? or port and blue castello cheese or goat's cheese ? or homemade chips dipped in garlic and tomato sauce.? Or new potatoes or baby beetroot served with butter, and sprinkled with sea salt ?
Bon appetite, with a clear conscience !
