Eating

Once, a friend and I decided to make sushi. Natch, there are plenty of pick-up counters and restos offering a quality product at a reasonable price, but sometimes it’s just not enough to toss pasta with olive oil and garlic, and you have to take that leap. Sometimes you need to try a recipe that requires you to handle new and mysterious cooking implements, that challenges your culinary intellect and, if nothing else, is so fiercely stimulating that your stomach groans with anticipation.

So we proceeded to make the sushi…and a huge mess. Red pepper juice pooled on my counter. Bits of coriander leaves were crushed underfoot. There were splatters of soy sauce everywhere – in fact, I continued to find splatters for several days afterwards every time I moved my toaster or shifted a plant. The stuff really gets around.

And wow, were my rolls stunningly unattractive! They were too fat in the middle, too slim at the ends and when I cut them into mouth-sized pieces, they burst sending julienne vegetables everywhere in a mini-fireworks of colour.

So why all the trouble when the food processors of the world are so eager to spare me the effort? Something needs to be said about the ritual of the thing and the triumph of the individual over the loud petitioning of marketing.

Almost every new food product appearing on the market lately is marketed as quick, easy and delicious. The food industry seems hell bent on breaking the consumer’s reflex association between “quick and easy” with the lumpy, congealed frozen dinners that we remember from our youth.

The slickly packaged, wittily named, ultra-hyped products that are currently flooding grocery store aisles are a triumph of marketing over memory. Frozen or quick-preparation foods are sexy. They now come in aerodynamic, microwave friendly bowls that are chic enough for the pretty model with shiny black ringlets on TV to serve to her hot date. And bonus! They’re also completely disposable so that even cleaning up is “quick and easy”.

The success of this product trend is hinged on the modern lifestyle: busy families juggling their careers with mowing the lawn, the kids’ soccer schedule and grouting the shower, etc… need shortcuts to help them manage their time more effectively, as do swinging singles, whose spontaneous lifestyles require a little stability now and again. Apparently, we are all very busy people with very little time to eat.

Not really.

If you are truly making an effort to be health-conscious then you have to be willing to get your hands dirty. Eating healthy does not mean bypassing McDonald’s and then running home to eat a processed instant dinner full of sodium and preservatives. It may be quicker but that doesn’t mean it’s better. Eating healthy does mean going to the grocery store and choosing room temperature items such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains, and preparing meals that are properly moderated for maximum vitamin and mineral intake.

Our oldest ancestors treated food and its preparation with respect, so why don’t we? How come we insist on having this meaningless wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am relationship with the goodies on our plate? If you take the time, the act of preparing and consuming food can be a pleasant aspect of your day.

Do you think I would bother to make sushi alone? Hell, no - too much trouble! But because it also gives me an opportunity to spend some time with a friend, it’s all the more worthwhile and the food tastes better. Even when I cook on my own, I tend to put on the radio and do a little samba in the kitchen while I dice or sing while I sauté. Other than providing sheer entertainment to my neighbours across the way, it also gives me a few quality moments with myself to evaluate the events of the day and prepare myself for the challenges that will need to be faced tomorrow.

If anything, our society provides very little time for individuals to reflect. Eating, just like working, cleaning and dentist appointments, are scheduled in our routines as tasks that must be dealt with as quickly as possible so that we can get to the next task and the next until…we get to sleep. Most days are a blur: admit it. When was the last time you actually had time to think about what you were doing? And most importantly, why you were doing it?

Can’t remember?

Don’t feel bad. Most of us couldn’t. But that is part of the point I want to make. If there is one thing in your life that can be slowed down and enjoyed, that can be savoured for all it’s worth, it is the preparation and consumption of food. Take your brain back from the marketers who stole it, and discover the superb Zen of a really sharp knife as it parts the luscious flesh of a softly yellow zucchini. Don’t be surprised if a few minutes more of quiet contemplation every day starts to whet your appetite for more.

Luckily, there are three meals per day and thus, three great opportunities for greater happiness and health.