It seems as if several of my friends these days are being diagnosed with Celiac’s or some other dietary challenge, which has required them to begin a gluten free diet. Gratefully, there have been significant improvements in the quality of gluten free products that are available. An increasing number of companies are making their products as gluten free. While all that has been helpful for them, the hardest part has not been external, but internal. They each had to form new relationships with food. They had to develop new behaviors like learning to read the labels for hidden wheat products. They have had to learn how to carry a food card with them to restaurants to ensure that their food is gluten free and/or to look for restaurants that have gluten free options.
Read moreFood and Numbers
If you have been reading my blog for any length of time at all, you know I usually write from my heart. Today, started no differently. Every time I sat down to write I found myself thinking about numbers and not food. After trying to focus on food, cooking, and the principles of Zen for several hours, I ultimately wound up back at numbers. Seeking inspiration, I pulled out one of my favorite cookbooks and randomly opened a page, which talked about the three basics of soup making. So here I was ultimately back at numbers again.
Read moreFull and Empty
I have been reading this wonderful little book called Like a Yeti Catching Marmots: A Little Treasury of Tibetan Proverbs. Some of them have resonated with me more then others. However, there have been a few that have stopped and really made me think. One of them says this “One thinks of Dharma when the stomach is full; one thinks of stealing when the stomach is empty.”
In the most simplistic of terms, Dharma is understood by most as living by the natural universal laws whose observance enables humans to be contented and happy, and to save themselves from degradation and suffering.
Read moreIt’s All About Balance
Recently a colleague asked how we grow spiritually. While we had different paths in many ways, one thing we agreed on was finding the spiritual in everyday life. Crazy as it may sound to those who do not like to cook or spend time in the kitchen, I have gained some important lessons spiritually from cooking. As I once heard someone say, “Food crafts your soul.” Many people I know buy cookbooks because of the recipes they contain. I collect them for the wisdom they contain. While the cookbook authors might not have intended to be departing spiritual information, their words often time strike a chord with me and bring me to a place of reflection about the quality and composition of life.
Read moreIt's not just the dish.
Earlier this week, I challenged people to think about what they were distributing into the Universe and the intent behind their actions. One of our readers from the UK, Antonia asked me if this was my segue to this week’s reflection here. While I had not thought about it at the time, it in some respects was, but for different reasons. She said it reminded her of a story in the New Testament about a young boy who gave Jesus a meager offering of fish and loaves and bread. Jesus took this gift and fed the masses. So often, we may not feel as if we may make a difference in the world, however, we never know how what we offer to the universe will change people’s lives.
It is all about the intent. Love and positive energy changes things. Sometimes just inviting people to the table to share a pizza and soda (not even homemade) makes people feel loved. Sometimes it is not what is on the table, but what is exchanged at the table.
Read moreE is for Enthusiasm
Sue Grafton, a mystery writer, titles each of her books with a letter such as H is for homicide. If I were writing a series of books on spiritual qualities, I would have to say that E is for enthusiasm. What got me thinking about enthusiasm this morning was that today, August 15, 2012, would have been the 100th birthday of Julia Child. Whether it was watching the portrayal of her in Julie and Julia or watching reruns of when she was cooking on television, the word I have always found best describes her is enthusiasm. She seemed to have such an enthusiasm for life, for food, and for cooking. There is something about enthusiastic people, which seems to light up the lives of others and themselves. They have a certain kind of spiritual energy that enables them to give all they've got to the tasks at hand, holding nothing back. Enthusiasm, however, is rarely thought of as a spiritual practice, yet it is all about spirituality.
Read moreExpanding my salad theology
When I first started this blog, it was to share the spiritual lessons I learned through eating, preparing, and cooking foods. Over time, my relationship with food has changed in so many ways. We went from vegetarian to eating meat again, to slowly moving towards lactose free, gluten free kind of diet. Each one prompted by some sort of spiritual revelation or understanding. Some of the spiritual lessons I have learned have come from cooking shows like my all time favorite Chopped and reading cookbooks.
Read moreAngel’s, Devil’s and Heavenly Foods
Recently I had the chance to gather with some colleagues to watch an ABC documentary Barbara Walters did a while back on Heaven. She interviewed Rabbis, Imams, Pastors, Buddhists (including the Dali Lama), Atheists, and a host of people who believe in heaven and hell and those who do not. It was a fascinating documentary which illustrated how there was little agreement across or within faith traditions as to what Heaven is, if that is what it should be called, or what you needed to do to get there.
The next day, I was talking with one of the people who had planned to come and could not and she jokingly asked me an interesting question, “So what did you serve for refreshments? Angel’s food cake, devil’s food cake, or heavenly hash.”
Read moreSalad Revelations
It was a simple request which inspired this blog. I chose to ask each person present in our house one evening to contribute to the creation of dinner. One person was asked to cook the steaks and burgers. I made a southwestern potato hash and I asked the other two people to create a salad. Sounds simple, right? After all we all know what a salad is. What was interesting was some of the discussion which pursued as they were choosing what kind of salad to make and what to put in the salad. It got me thinking about what exactly is a salad. Is there A definition of what A salad is?
Read moreIt’s not your Mama’s ground beef
Growing up my mother had a pretty set relationship with ground beef. You used it for a set number of dishes: hamburgers, meatballs, and stuffed cabbage. The only one of the three that was, what I as a young child, considered palatable was the stuffed cabbage. The hamburgers were, like any other meat, either still mooing or tasted like shoe leather. The meatballs were normally dry and tasteless and were not even craved by our dog Puggy. In her stuffed cabbage, however, somehow she managed to transform this everyday kind of ingredient into something special. I no longer have her recipe
Read moreFood, Joy, and Happiness
At a dinner gathering a while back, one of our guests told me that my cooking made her feel so happy. As I spoke with her more about this, I came to realize that it had little to do with what I had made, or even about what she had eaten. What made her feel happy was the love she experienced sitting at our table. Sometimes we think food can make us happy. I will be the first one to tell you that a plate of sushi or sashimi will always bring a smile to my face. Digging the goodies out the ice cream is always a fun thing for me to do. When I was a child, I always loved twisting the cookies apart and licking the middle of the Oreo’s and sucking the cream out of the Twinkies.
Read moreOh what we were missing!
When I would go to visit Zoe in Alexandria, Virginia, we would pass this restaurant on Route 1 that had a large yellow sign out front that said Korean BBQ and Sushi. With neither of us ever having had Korean BBQ, we had no idea what we were missing. We both assumed it was like American BBQ and as Zoe does not like Sushi, it wound up never being a restaurant we went to. Oh what we were missing.
A few weeks ago, I saw this sign on Facebook about the countries in the world that had the lowest percentages of overweight people and the number 1 country was Korea, followed by Japan. So I began learning a bit more about Korean cuisine. The most common dish I kept finding were various forms of Korean BBQ. In some respects, it is similar to American BBQ in that it can be marinated and then grilled; however, that is where the similarity ends.
Read moreFusion Style: Goodness and Love
When I was in seminary, I found myself frustrated because there were theological writings, which approached various themes from a diversity of perspectives. There was Latina(o) liberation theology, African American liberation theology, liberation theology; womanist theology, feminist theology, systemic, process, historical, philosophical, biblical, and the list went on. Each of them came from a very clear standpoint; however, it seemed that each of them was based on a sense of homogeneous experience. I always struggled with that as a biracial and multicultural woman because my being and experience is more heterogeneous then homogeneous
Read moreSpice Honesty
Growing up I believed in many things because nobody told me otherwise. Eventually, however, I learned that not all I believed was true. For example, I learned there was no such thing as the tooth fairy that fluttered in my room with her wings and magic wand and left me money for my tooth. Over the last few years, the same has come to be true of my knowledge of herbs and spices. So please try not to fall out laughing, however, I once believed that chili powder was made from ground chilies, herbes de provence was a special herb grown in Provence, garam masala and curry were spices grown in India and exported to the rest of the world.
Read moreHerbal Essence: No, not the shampoo!
A former professor once told that the way to entice people to read your blog or peak their interest in your sermon was to come up with a catchy title. So if you are reading this, then hopefully that means my title worked. I was playing with the tile “parsley, sage, rosemary, and time”, but decided I liked Herbal Essence better because it really got at the essence of what I have been thinking about this week: herbal essence.
There was a time (not thyme), when I never used fresh herbs and spent my entire cooking life using dried herbs and spices. Then I expanded my repertoire and began using fresh herbs. However, as a scripture says, “for everything there is a purpose under heaven.” This is true of herbs as well. There is a time for dry and a time for fresh. There is a thyme for every seasoning under heaven. (Hope you do not mind my humor). However, the essence of my herbal humor is true.
Read moreWhat does your garden grow?
I am not sure what it is about this time of year that I find myself thinking about herbs. Maybe it is the surprise visit I found in my outdoor gardening area the past few weeks as what I thought would be empty buckets began to reveal hearty chives, mint, and basil. At the same time, I have found myself thinking about how much my relationship with herbs has changed over the last few years. I can remember a time when everything was just a spice and you found them all in bottles in aisle. I never stopped to look at the fresh herbs in the produce section or consider planting them in my own yard. Yet here I am with a completely new relationship with herbs. I now find myself spending a considerable amount of time exploring the herbs in the produce section of my market and, when I am able to leave the house, looking at herb plants at the garden center. I have come to appreciate the vast difference in flavor between dried and fresh herbs. I would not go so far as to say I am an herb expert, however, my appreciation and relationship with herbs has evolved over time.
Read moreAn artist’s kitchen
Cooking for me, as it is for many foodies and chefs, is a form of art. Others may use pastels, oils, acrylics, etc. I paint with words in my blogs and writings and with food when I am cooking. Even when something looks simple, like tomato soup, I want people to appreciate the layers of flavor, which are beneath that red silky appearance. I have come to realize how important a few things are for me to be present in my studio and what facilitates my being in the state of flow, or optimal experience, and what can throw me out of it. One thing, for example, is not being able to find the spice or other ingredient I need at a crucial moment.
Read moreSpirituality and Pasta Sauce
Many people I know had a food they did not like as children. However, over time their appreciation for, and experience of, that food changed over time. For me, this was especially true of pasta sauces. As a child, my favorite pasta preparations were boxed macaroni and cheese and Spaghettio’s. The latter being my favorite primarily because of the sauce. It tasted so much better then my mom’s sauce. She made hers by mixing catsup, cream cheese, and oregano together. I was in my teens when I first experienced I home made pasta sauce which exceeded my expectations and changed my relationship with pasta and with Spaghettio’s, which no longer were acceptable to my palette.
Read moreThe best thing I ever "ate"!
Yes, I know that is the name of a food network show, however, it is also a spiritual lesson I learned from some of the restaurants I have eaten at in my life. Things I have eaten at restaurants inspired some of the things I have made for my friends and family. For me, when I eat something amazing, you know one of those dishes that would be on your “the best thing I ever ate” list, I begin trying to unpack the process behind it and the ingredients within it. The process is similar to what Bobbi Flay and Anne Burrell had their contestants do on one episode of Worst Cooks in America. Here is a dish, figure out what is in it and how we made it.
Read moreNot Exactly a World Traveler.
So many of the chefs I have watched on television or read about in their cookbooks have spent a good part of their lives traveling around the world. My niece has just finished spending several months studying in Italy and after a brief reunion with my brother and her siblings will be traveling back to Switzerland. She has had an opportunity to travel to various regions and tasted some amazing food. She has been exposed to sauces, soups, spices, and ingredients I probably have never heard of.
Read more