This is the second of three blogs in the mini series called “returning to the basics” in the post pandemic era: body movement, food, joy.
Delicious food makes life wonderful. When was the last time you had a meal that made you feel this way? For me, it was last week when we had taco Saturday, a dinner made by my son and husband.
There are two values in our culture that have been influencing our beliefs about food: convenience and racing to the bottom.
You guessed right, I’m talking about processed food and low price by mass production that has created high price tag on our health and the environment. The narratives that come with these values are: food should be convenient and cost nearly nothing so large quantity is still affordable for average people.
Food is never meant to be dirt cheap with least nutrition. Often when we have nutritious and delicious food, we don’t need to eat that much to feel full and sustain our energy. Large quantity consumption is a must when food offers nearly nothing for our body to survive.
For most of the time, food isn’t made for convenience. There is a difference between a simple meal versus a convenient meal. A simple meal can be a bowl of congee that cooked for an hour with a side dish or a stew with a few ingredients. When convenience becomes the definition of food, we have lost an opportunity to connect.
Delicious food moves people because it connects. It satisfies our taste buds and reminds us of our childhood, something beautiful in life. It shows that someone who made it cares. It surprises us with wonders and joy. It connects us with nature and reminds us that we need to take care of our environment to live this happy and healthy.
If we want to change the culture, we have choice to change how we think about food and everything around it. Food brings people together. Cooking with family and friends is one way to do that. It may not be easy, but is worth doing.
