The Power of the Meal

By Jesse S. Somer


Since the beginning of time      that what mood you are in, the
one aspect of human social       amount of effort and          
experience has stood out as      awareness you give the cooking
the 'place to be' for            process, and the love and     
communication and family         gratitude that you feel for   
bonding: the meal. In            the ability to eat is         
contemporary human life the      imperative to making a good   
evening dinner is often the      meal. I have read in a famous
only place and time that a       Hari Krishna cookbook as well
family all sits down together.   as Taoist teachings how the   
In tribal times of course        actual emotions that the cook
there are still tribes today     feels when making a meal is   
the cooking of a slaughtered     transmitted into the food via
animal or cultivated             chi energy. Feelings and food
vegetables brought the group     are both forms of energy.     
together to share ideas and      Native Americans believe that
feelings. Think about it these   all thoughts and emotions are
days; when you want to take      'alive'.                      
someone out for a romantic                                     
date, meet business              You may have seen the recent  
colleagues, get together with    film, 'What the bleep do we   
old friends and acquaintances,   know?' Read about it at       
we go out for a bite to eat.     whatthebleep.com. In this film
What is it about sharing some    world-renowned scientists     
food that puts us in such a      discuss the idea that all     
relaxed and communicable         thoughts and emotions are     
state? Could it simply be        actually physically material  
science, and the fact that if    in the sense that they are    
you are tense when you eat,      produced by chemicals and are
the food doesn't digest as       transmitted in electrical     
well? Or, could it have some     forms. Therefore, a happy chef
psychological basis having to    truly spreads happiness by    
do with the idea that you are    enjoying the preparation of a
sharing some life-giving         meal.                         
sustenance with your fellow                                    
species instead of warring       So, next time you sit down to 
over it? Subconsciously do we    a meal with friends or        
recognize the facts that we      family, or cook for guests,   
will be able to live another     remember the significance of  
day as well as sew healthy       this often undervalued        
seeds for future generations?    experience. For hundreds of   
                                 thousands of years our distant
Think of all the problems in     relatives' whole way of       
the world today. Maybe if we     social life was based around  
all got together for a feast     the acquisition and sharing of
we could work out some           food. It is often the main    
practical solutions, say while   time to communicate to the    
sipping on coconut milk, or      ones you hold most dearly, so
chewing on a loaf of bread.      please don't take it for      
The current 14th Dalai Lama      granted or think that just    
is quoted as having said, I      because it is necessary for   
sometimes think that the act     survival that there aren't any
of bringing food is one of the   meaningful and mysterious     
basic roots of all               aspects to the experience.    
relationships.                  Relating to each other is one
                                 of the most important elements
There is also the idea of        in a social creature's        
food as being a medium for the   existence; the meal is a time
transferal of emotional          and place for relationships to
energy. I am currently living    sprout and grow. That's just  
with a friend who is very        some of the power of the      
adept in the kitchen. He uses    meal.                         
high quality ingredients and                                   
professional techniques, but                                   
he also follows the belief                                     

About the author:
Jesse S. Somer
M6.Net
http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer is a creature that eats a little bit too much food at times, and needs to share more meals with other organisms that he loves.


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