Summer is officially over and after spending 3 months in Canada we have returned to Nicaragua. I have been sorting through the hundreds of photos we’ve taken to select a few to print. While reliving these recent adventures I have been struck by the regularity by which food appears in our photographs. I am not referring to artistically arranged instagrammable shots of exotic fare, but rather everyday moments of us as a family.
Take my birthday for example; when asked what I wanted to ‘do’, I replied that I’d like to go for a picnic by the lake, ending the afternoon at the ice cream parlour. Then share birthday cake with the family (a vanilla sponge with raspberry buttercream icing from my favourite bakery) before going out for a lobster dinner with my husband. As it was my birthday, eating dessert before the main was entirely acceptable!
My birthday is just one illustration of our gastronomic adventures, let’s not forget about berry picking, a food truck fiesta, snow cones at the fair, fishing with Papa, paella in Spain, ‘Tim Bit’ donuts at the highway services, buying corn and green beans at the farmers market ….. I could go on, but you get the picture!
I am reminded of the Socrates quote “Though shouldst eat to live; not live to eat”. His words are a warning against gluttony, and are teaching us that eating should not be our primary activity but something we do to maintain health and prevent disease. Of course, as a dietitian, I totally embrace this philosophy but I might also argue that in today’s world it’s meaning may not be so black and white.
I can ‘eat to live’, not solely because I choose to do so, but because I am blessed with access (both financially and physically) to an abundance of delicious fresh foods, I am fortunate to be free from health conditions that require the restriction or elimination of specific nutrients, and I am privileged to have received the education and training to make informed decisions on how best to nourish my body. There are millions that are not as lucky.
The photographic evidence from our summer holiday suggests that I may, at times, also ‘live to eat’ (as does the tightness of my jeans)! This is not always about greed but about using our five senses to experience life to its fullest. I ‘live to eat’ when my food choices are influenced by my cultural identity or are intertwined with a specific activity. Like turkey at Christmas, a hot dog at the baseball game, a cup of tea at any time (I’m British after all)!!
Have you ever enjoyed a local delicacy while on holiday and then attempted to recreate it when back at home? Doesn’t quite taste the same, does it? Have you ever tried making your Grandmother’s famous pie only to be disappointed? Isn’t it funny how a marshmallow eaten at the kitchen counter is a sickly goo but eaten in the glow of a camp fire is a delectable delight?! It is all about the context. Making food a part of these special moments leads to eating with intention, savouring the process bite by bite.
Sorry Socrates, I disagree in part! Yes, let’s continue to strive to eat healthfully, feel good and live well so that we are able to fully embrace these ‘live to eat’ moments. Because I believe that rather than be avoided they should be embraced, as they make our experiences all the more richer and our memories so much sweeter.
Thanks for reading,
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