I'm no preacher - never have been, never will be.
I believe people need to make their own decisions, make their own mistakes and learn from them, or not.
I just don't like telling people what to do - which is possibly why I dropped out of teaching after my first prac.
So if it ever appears that I have an opinion or there is a high horse and I'm about to mount it, please know it is not my intention to change the way you think or behave,
I believe people need to make their own decisions, make their own mistakes and learn from them, or not.
I just don't like telling people what to do - which is possibly why I dropped out of teaching after my first prac.
So if it ever appears that I have an opinion or there is a high horse and I'm about to mount it, please know it is not my intention to change the way you think or behave,
nor am I automatically assuming I am right or that my opinion matters more or is any more valid than anyone else's.
Having said that, I've been thinking a bit about food and my consumption of it and how I have noticed a change since being on the road.
A friend gave me the book "Art of the Peaceful Warrior" and in it the protagonist is taken to a restaurant and is promised the best meal of his life.
When he is presented with his food he thinks he's been had when the simplest of simple meals is placed before him.
But when he is given the context of the meal and is told, and shown, how much time and love was put into preparing the meal, he soon understands that the meal is the
Having said that, I've been thinking a bit about food and my consumption of it and how I have noticed a change since being on the road.
A friend gave me the book "Art of the Peaceful Warrior" and in it the protagonist is taken to a restaurant and is promised the best meal of his life.
When he is presented with his food he thinks he's been had when the simplest of simple meals is placed before him.
But when he is given the context of the meal and is told, and shown, how much time and love was put into preparing the meal, he soon understands that the meal is the
best he has ever had.
I'm not going to go into a hippy spiel about "All you need is love" or "Love makes the world go round" but it got me thinking about the role of love in food preparation
I'm not going to go into a hippy spiel about "All you need is love" or "Love makes the world go round" but it got me thinking about the role of love in food preparation
and about having a better appreciation for the act of eating and what is has taken for the food to get from the farm to your gullet.
Take fast food, McDonalds for example. The last time I had McDonalds was more than 10 years ago so things may have changed (the fact that I still call it McDonalds
Take fast food, McDonalds for example. The last time I had McDonalds was more than 10 years ago so things may have changed (the fact that I still call it McDonalds
and not Maccas is probably testament to my "behindthetimeness").
McDonalds food is designed to be prepared, sold and consumed in the fastest time possible.
Kids churn out those burgers with no thought for what they are doing - their minds preoccupied with pimples, a boy or girlfriend and/or keeping their job.
The burger is then sold to the next person who has waited in a long but fast moving line so they can satisfy their hunger ASAP. Or, if they don't have time to stand in
McDonalds food is designed to be prepared, sold and consumed in the fastest time possible.
Kids churn out those burgers with no thought for what they are doing - their minds preoccupied with pimples, a boy or girlfriend and/or keeping their job.
The burger is then sold to the next person who has waited in a long but fast moving line so they can satisfy their hunger ASAP. Or, if they don't have time to stand in
line (and who does these days, right?) you can go to the Drive Thru and have your dinner devoured by the time you get home.
I have been guilty of seeing eating as just another chore that you need to get through each day. And I don't think I'm the only one.
Friends and family have seen me easily put away two large pizzas in one sitting as well as dessert without raising a sweat. Eating as sport.
But how many of us actually considers where our food has come from and what it takes to get the food to us?
Believe it or not, sausages do not come from a butcher. Fruit and vegetables do not grow in the supermarket.
Since being on the road, I guess I've had more time to think about these things and it has changed the way I think about and treat food.
And it has meant that some of the simplest meals have also been some of the most enjoyable. This has been a blessing as most of you know, I am getting by without
I have been guilty of seeing eating as just another chore that you need to get through each day. And I don't think I'm the only one.
Friends and family have seen me easily put away two large pizzas in one sitting as well as dessert without raising a sweat. Eating as sport.
But how many of us actually considers where our food has come from and what it takes to get the food to us?
Believe it or not, sausages do not come from a butcher. Fruit and vegetables do not grow in the supermarket.
Since being on the road, I guess I've had more time to think about these things and it has changed the way I think about and treat food.
And it has meant that some of the simplest meals have also been some of the most enjoyable. This has been a blessing as most of you know, I am getting by without
refrigeration of any sort.
The other day my dinner consisted of a carrot, two apples, some yoghurt with muesli and a date and walnut slice.
These days I take my time to eat. It's not a race to be won. I take measured mouthfuls and savour the flavours, texture and feelings offered by each bite.
I'm definitely no foodie but it's amazing how slowing down and taking time to eat can make the simplest of meals seem satisfying.
As I masticate (big word, had to use it), I think about, and give silent thanks to the people, the technology and the good fortune which has given me the opportunity to
The other day my dinner consisted of a carrot, two apples, some yoghurt with muesli and a date and walnut slice.
These days I take my time to eat. It's not a race to be won. I take measured mouthfuls and savour the flavours, texture and feelings offered by each bite.
I'm definitely no foodie but it's amazing how slowing down and taking time to eat can make the simplest of meals seem satisfying.
As I masticate (big word, had to use it), I think about, and give silent thanks to the people, the technology and the good fortune which has given me the opportunity to
eat and appreciate the food I am eating.
I also think about the people who can't afford to eat and go starving every day.
I also think about the connection between food and love. After years of watching Nigella, it's surprising I never made the connection sooner!
Is it any wonder we feel so shit after eating Maccas? Think about it.
The burgers are made from meat which has come from an animal that has been bred to die in stressful feedlots. It is prepared by someone who is getting paid a
I also think about the people who can't afford to eat and go starving every day.
I also think about the connection between food and love. After years of watching Nigella, it's surprising I never made the connection sooner!
Is it any wonder we feel so shit after eating Maccas? Think about it.
The burgers are made from meat which has come from an animal that has been bred to die in stressful feedlots. It is prepared by someone who is getting paid a
minimum wage and would rather be anywhere else but in that kitchen and it is served to someone who is so stressed and "time poor" that they think they have no other
option but to fuel up on this kind of food. With a production line lacking any sort of love or appreciation is it any wonder the food tastes like shit and you feel like shit
as a result?
Conversely, take my Mum's date and walnut slice as an example.
My Mum is the first to admit she's not going to be the next "Masterchef" but anything she cooks for me or my sister is done with a mother's love.
When I first set off on this adventure, she sent me off with a container full of this slice, wanting to give me some comfort food and hoping it would somehow sustain
Conversely, take my Mum's date and walnut slice as an example.
My Mum is the first to admit she's not going to be the next "Masterchef" but anything she cooks for me or my sister is done with a mother's love.
When I first set off on this adventure, she sent me off with a container full of this slice, wanting to give me some comfort food and hoping it would somehow sustain
me for the first and toughest part of the journey.
As I stopped for the night, feeling a bit peckish, I treated myself to a morsel of the slice and thought "Gee, this is really good".
I'd had the slice before but I can't remember it ever being this good, why is it so?
The reason was two-fold.
Firstly, I was taking my time to eat it and to savour it.
Secondly, and most importantly, I realised it had an extra ingredient, love.
Maybe I'm just being sentimental or a bit too crazy hippy (peace and love, man) but when you next find yourself eating, take your time to appreciate the food and how
As I stopped for the night, feeling a bit peckish, I treated myself to a morsel of the slice and thought "Gee, this is really good".
I'd had the slice before but I can't remember it ever being this good, why is it so?
The reason was two-fold.
Firstly, I was taking my time to eat it and to savour it.
Secondly, and most importantly, I realised it had an extra ingredient, love.
Maybe I'm just being sentimental or a bit too crazy hippy (peace and love, man) but when you next find yourself eating, take your time to appreciate the food and how
you came by it, or, if you're cooking, chuck in a dash of love...and taste the difference.
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