The Five Principles of Ageless Living by Dayle Haddon

Author:Dayle Haddon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books

step seven: embrace the joy and celebration of food

The smells, the sounds, the taste of foods, and the love we show our families as we share meals, all come together around the table. Mealtime is our opportunity to combine the magic of food with our love and connection to family and friends.

Even before we join together to share a delicious meal, the aroma of cooking works on a subtle, sensual level to convey to us a sense of well-being. And how we prepare our food also influences how we will receive it. I feel it is important to cook and serve food with loving thoughts. As we cook, the combination of the Shakti—“life force”—in food and our own loving energy make our home come alive.

While writing this book I stayed part of the time in a house just south of Provence. The simple stucco-and-terra-cotta cottage and its gardens had been neglected by an absent owner and indifferent renters and clearly hadn’t been loved enough. Yet, the combined energy of a devoted cook and loving guests rejuvenated our little abode. As a delicious lunch was prepared, I noticed an amazing transformation take place.

When Pascal, the chef, commanded the kitchen, the individual aromas of all the different ingredients gently wafted throughout the house, making it feel homey. We were uplifted by each new smell, one after the other, as he went about preparing the meal: first olive oil and garlic, then basil, onion, tomato, mushrooms, and ginger, followed by sugar being caramelized and apples baking—and then the heavenly blend they created together!

The sounds of the meal being created added to our sense of well-being. As we worked, we heard the intermittent sizzle of vegetables as they hit the pan, the crackle of fresh fish sautéing, the gentle slap of lettuce against the ceramic salad bowl. Even the voices engaged in intense food preparation fed our anticipation of the meal, conveying a feeling of being taken care of. Knowing we were about to be so lovingly nourished, we finally felt we had made our house a home.

All the aspects of food have a transformational effect when we treat them with great respect. By recognizing that food sustains all life on the planet, it takes on a blessed aspect. The holy Hindu Upanishad texts praise the sacred nature of food by saying, “All creatures that dwell on earth are born of food and live through food.”

The great teacher Swami Chidvilasananda wrote in The Yoga of Discipline:

Food is the healing herb that nourishes all.

Whoever worships (God) as food wants for nothing.

When we take time to sit together and share a deliciously prepared meal, we express our love and gratitude not only for what is on our plate, but also for one another. That’s why saying a prayer before a meal is such a poignant moment of pause. When we honor what is in front of us, we enhance our experience; we realize and pay tribute to all the efforts it took to bring the meal

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