Food can provide the simplest pleasures of comfort and sustenance but can also be the most intense experience, involving all the senses and providing endless indulgent delights.
“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” James Beard
Close your eyes and pay attention to the crunch and subsequent burst of sweetness when you bite into an apple. Try to stop yourself picking the reddest ripest strawberry or consider the smell of a summer braai. Are there enough words to describe the scrumptious, delectable, savoury, delicious, aromatic, tangy, delight of food glorious food?
FILL YOU MIND WITH FOOD
For many the welcome sound of a cork popping and glug glug of a glass filling indicates the beginning of a well deserved moment of peace.
When last did your kids put their ears to a bowl to properly appreciate the snap, crackly and pop?
APPRECIATE THE BRIGHT COLOURS
For me the sights of abundantly piled plates at a harvest table, brightly coloured fruits and vegetables piled high in markets and kitchen gardens growing warmly in the sun are things of great beauty and security.
High class restaurants and cook books spend lots of time and money on plating and food styling knowing that people ‘eat with their eyes’ and if something looks attractive we are more likely to rate it’s flavor.
But others might argue that sight is a distraction from food. Are there foods that you just can’t enjoy with your eyes open? When last did you take a bite of something that was so delicious you just had to close your eyes to better savour its intensity and to heighten the inner experience, allowing only an involuntary ‘mmmm’ to escape?
SMELL THAT BACON SIZZLING
I used to go out riding early on Sunday morning and return past all the Bed and Breakfast spots to the mouth watering cooking smells of bacon and fresh bread… smells so reminiscent of home comforts that they undid all my good work on the bicycle. I heard a quote that the world would be full of skinny people if only lettuce smelled like bacon – don’t you agree?J
You might experience the same problem with baking chocolate cake. One thing I do know is that some smells have been proven to set off a chemical reaction in the body – the oils released when you cut an orange or a granadilla automatically increase saliva production in the mouth.
Try this little trick to show just how important the sense of smell is to what we taste: Block your nose and taste a drop of vanilla extract. Blah. And then unblock you nose and let the sweet pungency fill your senses.
GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY
The way food feels in your mouth, especially dessert, is another consideration. Silky creaminess or soft coolness might be balanced by crunch or heat. We should all take more time to experience the feel of food in our mouths and with our hands.
Try cooking with your hands; don’t be afraid to get them covered in butter or sauce. Bite into a ripe mango and let the juice drip off your chin. Maybe we could let our kids eat spaghetti naked so it splashed everywhere as they slurped each strand.
TASTE THE FULL FLAVOUR
And finally of course there is the wonderful sense of taste. The ability to appreciate the endless varieties of sweet and sour and savoury and how they combine.
“Sometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of the rain, the taste of your favourite food, or the sound of a loved one’s voice.” Joseph B. Within
I’m sure I’m missing many wonderful sensory experiences here as the full experience of food is a personal revelation wrapped up in our memories of home and travel and friends. But I do think we miss the best of the meal when we just bolt it down while standing or watching tv. We forget to be conscious or grateful for the experience.
So maybe that is the 6th Sense the sense of gratitude that allows us to slow down and really appreciate where the food came from, who prepared it, all it is doing for our bodies and health and all the many pleasures it can provide.
COOK CONSCIOUSLY, EAT HAPPILY