Receiving Food in the Spirit in Which it is Given
Filed Under Natural Cooking |
I do my best to prepare food as naturally as possible. I prefer organic food; stainless steel or cast iron cookware (no non-stick for me!); wooden or bamboo cooking utensils; a gas stove (a close replication of the fire from the sun, but electric stoves can still do the job!); glass and stainless containers for leftovers; natural fiber dishtowels… these are the things I consider when stocking my kitchen and cooking for myself and those I love.
Sometimes, though, those we love want to gift us with food. In my early “natural cook” days, I turned down a lot of food that didn’t meet my standards. Over the years, I have chosen to exercise discretion and enjoy less-than-natural food once in awhile because the heart energy that went into it counts, too!
For example, I enjoyed a lovely Christmas Eve dinner at my partner’s relatives’ place this year. One of the tastiest sweet treats was a white-flour bread with candied fruit in it. Soft and squooshy. A delight that I had been looking forward to since I was introduced to that loaf last Christmas.
I may have cringed on the inside when the elderly gentleman who made this bread listed off the ingredients as we were all enjoying it at the table after dinner. Margarine is certainly not part of my repertoire, but he had kneaded and baked this bread with so much love that I believe it served me more to trust that taking in that love superceded taking in the margarine in the bread. There was no place for arrogance at that table.
It feels so good to not worry about it! Maybe it’s just due to the passing of time (”aging”) or maybe I’ve learned some lessons over the years, but I like that I have softened in a social way. And like most of us, I’ll make an extra effort to choose vibrant, healthy, natural foods to “detox” after the holidays.
Happy New Year!
Rebecca
