Love
is in the Air
I speak of Love today. Spring...Valentines
Day...Hot Coffee....
The mission of this magazine is to champion
an "Authentic" attitude toward "creating our own personal Menu" every day. With precision.
A meal Is a time we break bread with those we Love and breaking BREAD that we LOVE.
Below are 5 things (out of many) that I love about Authentic Nutrition.
1. Food taste better when
you Laugh between bites. (just don't laugh with your mouth full, we don't want anyone choking).
My Mom laughs till she can't breathe. It might be
a genetic trait, or a gift she learned from her Aunt (my Tante Katie, the circus trapeze performer for Ringling Bros. Circus
in the 1940's).
This is usually how it would begin.
One would look at the other, smile, and both would start laughing. Often with few, or even No words mind you - they
already knew what the other was thinking! (they can finish each others sentences) Whatever it was that triggered this
would cause them to Laugh so hard that I've see both literally slide off their chairs onto the floor. And soon the
rest of us would be laughing, and no one (except those two) would know exactly what we were laughing about.
But we were laughing,
and oh did it feel good. Something was added to the meal. A "happy spice" (no, this isn't
one of my scientific findings that you receive weekly as a member of my Fitness / Wellness Pro's). I could look
into causes from endorphins and the like, but that's not the point of this LOVE article. All I know is a meal that
has laughter and is a "celebration" of, and with Loved ones always has so much more "flavor".
And I'm proud to say the tradition continues.
Last week when I had dinner in NYC with my Niece Katie (named after my great-Aunt) you would have seen us talking and laughing
(yes, sometimes spontaneously) over dinner for a good (no, wonderful)
4 hours. That's a family meal. Just don't laugh with your mouth full as we don't want anyone choking.
But by all means bring that food to your lips with a smile on your face.
2. I love the Life lessons a cup of Coffee can reveal.
Love is a good thing. Love of Coffee is a good
thing. Love of Caffeine is a bad thing.
But selecting the beans because of the
"Terroir" (French for the 'soil' which gives the bean, or any food
grown in Mother Earth it's "essence" makes a huge diffeence. And how it was roasted (why a cup of German
or French coffee tastes so different). Even the water makes a big difference. You learn all the basics about cooking
with that cup, and I'm convinced if you can make a good cup of coffee, you can cook anything. And then there is the pleasure one has sitting with a friend over a hot cup, catching up on
life and sharing. Love in a cup, indeed (and when you read Ernie's great article you'll see I'm not alone
in this belief).
3. The person who sells you Fish should be in LOVE with that fish.
I buy my fish from an old "salt" who not
only knows his fish, but the boat that caught it, the captain, crew and very often their families. He is proud to tell
me how sleep deprived he is from getting up at 4am to be the first at the fish market so he could sell me that beautiful fish - which he loves.
Same
goes for the person who sells you pasta, or your butcher, or the person who teaches you how to become a Master Trainer.
If they don't LOVE their product or service, and have a hard time not bringing
up what they love in EVERY conversation, then I don't want it. I won't settle for less than love and neither
should you.
4. I love burning things in my kitchen.
OK,
so it means I'm trying. And that's the point, keep trying. And learning from our journey.
For too long with food I didn't try. I settled
for too much "I don't have time so I have to eat quick" or "comfort carbs". How empty a an experience.
How common an excuse.
I previously
had only tried Oysters once, and quickly sent them "down the hatch" without tasting, or enjoying anything. And if
asked I would have said I didn't like Oysters.
When
you read the article Nicki Barton included this month about 'Dr. Jack and Nicki's Oyster Adventure' you'll
get a glimpse into a night when I discovered a remarkable taste. A remarkable experience actually, by taking the time to slow down enough to TASTE MY MEAL. Salt (the ocean) and sweet (the Oyster) and sour (lemon) all dancing on my tongue. I never experienced
anything like it before, and Nicki was wise enough to order all different types of Oysters for me to fall in love with that
night.
In our own kitchen that means we have
to TAKE THE TIME to try new things and slow down the process enough to actually be present
in order to experience the "authentic" nature of the food. And sometimes we burn thing or add too much
of this and too little of that (or just inhale oysters instead of really tasting them). But if we keep trying and are
unafraid of the heat in the kitchen, wonders will occur. Keep on trying, and slow down just enough to be fully present
in, and completely enjoy an authentic experience.
5. I love Chef's who talk
to their food.
A very
successful chef / owner of one of New York's top restaurants insists that his chefs talk to the food they are preparing,
in a LOVING tone.
One of his new Sous-Chefs was confused when the owner kept asking "are you talking to your trout" while
he was preparing it in the pan. This owner-chef also speaks constantly of how he appreciates not only his customers,
but has equal love for the vendors who bring him the good fish and meat and fresh bread, and the employees who deliver his
product, WITH LOVE. I don't want to eat in a restaurant where the chefs think
they have to be angry like these "quasi-reality" TV show "actors". They
will bring me an angry Trout, and I won't enjoy a Trout with attitude.
Share a meal and lots of love, and laughter, and perhaps some good coffee this Valentines day. And with regard
to your meals, it should be Valentines day, everyday with every meal (and cup of coffee).
