Trice tested, the recipe works! Besides plums, I baked it once with sour cherries and another time with blueberries. It is a good, solid dessert. But I got nothing to say about it! It doesn’t rock my language faculty at all. It is one of the lukewarm, ordinary things that doesn’t command notice. It makes me wonder what we really value in cooking and eating?
"We are what we eat" is a well known idiom. It usually covers our reaction to certain ingredients or dietary habits. A little is spoken about the state of mind or consciousness while cooking and eating. Does it play a role?
It is a less appreciated detail, globally. Let’s be frank, we have trivialized eating. Food industry and production are dragged by financial motives. We are ready to pay more for quality groceries and restaurant services, because spending is a lesser sacrifice than a renovation of values. It compensates our lack of time or interest in holistic and balanced life. By preferring consumer choices like locally grown, clean, GMO-free and organic food with a fewer additives, we pacify the guilt of loosing contact with the deeper self and nature. That’s as far as we usually go with an introspection about the relation of food and well being.
What we value in cooking and eating echoes our general outlook of life. Food is more than nutrition, aesthetics, or an extension of our ego, control and status. It is an indispensable part of interaction and a countenance of love.
None of us admits we eat only to fill the belly. It would be uncultured! Depending on the awareness of our position as an individual, family-member, part of society, spiritual being and blissful soul, a parallel energy is transmitted via cooking. Food is a seat of loving exchange between us and the object of our love. It is communication. The sensual experience of tasting, smelling, seeing, touching and hearing food is just the beginning of culinary appreciation. A meal has a potential to uplift and illuminate beyond worldly boundaries.
Even a humble pie can do it if it is baked in pure consciousness! Especially when served with freshly whipped cream, ice-cream or vanilla custard :-)
Thank you.
Lakshmi, you are soo right about "We are what we eat". We strongly believe in that. What we eat affects all the aspects of our lives. Spiritual, mental and physical.
ReplyDeleteBTW lovely pictures and I am sure tarts are to die for :) I have made plum galatte before and I know how heavenly it is :)
Thanks Grishma, agreed :-)
ReplyDeleteDivine looking! Plums are perfect for making luscious tarts.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Rosa
Delicious and beautiful pictures.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Pauline
I am what I eat, that is absolutely true. Lovely post!
ReplyDeleteWhat a stunning and delightful tart!
ReplyDeleteLuscious!!!
ReplyDeleteThis tart looks so Beautiful!!!
I totally agree with you Lakshmi, food tells so much about us and mold us humans into what we become...
Very well written post indeed.
I am reading Michael Pollan's books right now so your post makes total sense to me! Such a beautiful tart!
ReplyDeleteWe definitely are what we eat, whichever way you look at it. :)
ReplyDeleteFood that rocks your consciousness is nice for a change and something we need to break the "rut", but it is usually the simple, ordinary, everyday foods/ meals that give us comfort and sustenance.
we are what we eat and it is so true. food can also lead one in a state of samadhi.
ReplyDeleteit also depends on how the food is cooked. pure devotion and love makes the food go on a higher level of consciousness. anyone who has this prasad... as i call it, benefits subtly from the food. its nourishes the human being as a whole.
gorgeous clicks as usual, lakshmi.
Thank you for your input. This is such an interesting topic and can be approached from different points of view, like Aparna said.
ReplyDeleteChinmayie - wow, he is holding a vivid conversation about our eating culture! I Googled Pollan and found some powerful interviews. I'm so glad there are people who care and use common sense.
Dassana - I'm there with you :-) Food, like anything else in existence, connects us either with matter or spirit depending on the way of seeing it. The difference is that matter binds and spirit liberates. The highest quality of food does not bring good or bad karma upon us. It is karma-free :-)
Beautiful thoughts.. 'We are what we eat' is also something I recently came across in the Bhagvad Gita. The pictures are brilliant, as always!
ReplyDeleteVishakha - That's right! Bhagavad-gita presents food according to the modes of nature: sattva, rajas and tamas. Thank you for mentioning it!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous clicks, Lakshmi!! Makes me want to reach into the laptop screen!! If only it's possible ;)
ReplyDeleteA delightful post! I agree that "we are what we eat". Food and eating not only nourishes and sustains us but is huge part of our daily lives. Where our food comes from, how we choose to prepare it, the manner in which we eat are all thoughtful meditations for our modern lives.
ReplyDeleteI love all your photography. And I loved reading your thoughts about food and the kind of relationship we have with it. We really are what we eat and I think its very important never to lose the sense of consciousness while taking bite of everything we put into out body.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I used to wonder what "you are what you eat" meant and think to myself 'does it mean if I eat potato I am a potato'?! Hehe. The innocence at childhood, I guess?
ReplyDeleteThe tart looks good. I thought all these tarts, quiches, etc needed digestive biscuits crumbled at base (I've never tried making these things), but seeing how you used spelt/flour, I think hunting for those biscuits won't be needed now.
Thank you for this post.
ReplyDeleteI've just started my food-journey and I'm so glad I came here...
Thanks.
ReplyDeleteNisha - LOL! That's one way of looking at it :-) I saw a cartoon yesterday: A squirrel was talking to a shrink on a therapy session. He said: when I learnt, "you are what you eat", I realized, I was nuts". Sorry, it was funnier as a picture!
I like how you think about food. Something I dislike about the people around here is that most of them (there are exceptions of course) stuff their face to get full. Maybe it's a big city thing. They're in a hurry and so just buy something from the street and shove it down their throats while trying not to get run over by a car. I guess it's just what they have to do but I don't like it. Food should be enjoyed! And so many people don't understand why I want to cook dinner when it takes so long and is eaten within 10 minutes. But that's the thing, dinner shouldn't take 10 minutes to eat! It's not about shoving your faces to get full. At least for me.
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures, as always. It looks fantastic!
Hello Laksmi! In my country there is not spelt. What can i use insted? thanks you.
ReplyDeleteHaha, Lakshmi. I still get the picture, funny :D :D
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post Lakshmi and I totally agree, we are what we eat. While I try to eat healthy most of the time I do love my sweet indulgences, life is to short without them :D
ReplyDeleteI love your photos, they are always so moving and beautiful.
Thanks!
ReplyDeleteErin - We have to make difficult choices in order to keep up with the (economic) standard of living. Neglecting wholesome eating as a natural form of social interaction is a personal sacrifice for many.
Anonymous - You can replace spelt with any other flour, especially wheat.
Lakshmi, I very much enjoy your posts each week. Your insights on preparing food as a loving exchange to those eating will be with me as I cook today. Beautiful photos as always!
ReplyDeleteClaire ♥ ♥ ♥
ReplyDeleteMMMMmmmmmmmm.....
ReplyDeleteYour blog is fantastic! Compliments, I will follow you.
ReplyDeleteThe dumplings look lovely. I love the color of beetroot. I often use beetroot paste to make roti or paratha and this recipe reminds me of that. I like how you have added kala namak and hing in the filling. Must be delicious! The photographs are beautiful as always.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDelete