Eating As We Are

I think I'm starting to believe in that old maxim, “You are what you eat”. I don't believe this in a literal sense, in that if you eat ham you must be a porker. But I do think that what we eat and our relationship to food says something about us. That “something” is probably up to interpretation. But I think it is worthwhile to take a moment and reflect on our eating habits and what we interpret our habits to say about us, because maybe some of our habits do not reflect who we want to become.

Food for thought: Do you tend to eat your meals alone in front of the TV, or perhaps in 10 minutes at your desk, with 8 applications open simultaneously? Quietly around the family table, or with the TV blaring in the background? Or are you the type of person who eats a meal spread out across a 2-3 hour time span over conversation with friends and family? (I'm sure these categories are not mutually exclusive...I'm just musing here.)

Do you eat a lot of fast or ready-made meals or are all your dishes whole-grain and all-natural?

When you go out to eat, do you always go to your favorite restaurant and order your favorite meal? Or are you always trying new places and new dishes?

Do you eat just until you're satisfied, or do you eat with a feeling that you're never quite satisfied? That there is an emotional hole that food caresses, but never satiates?

When you cook, do you follow recipes down to every letter, comma, and fraction, or do you sprinkle, twist, and tweak your recipes to suit your tastes and needs?

I am one of the folks who love to experiment in the kitchen. I love trying new recipes, new foods, and playing with new twists on old favorites. I'm not sure if that says I'm open-minded and adventurous...or just easily bored.

This weekend I pulled out the old master cookbook and made a Greek lamb pie involving phyllo dough, ground lamb, cinnamon, nutmeg, onions, tomatoes and mint. It definitely scored points with the husband so I will be doing that one again. I also made a Moroccan Chicken involving cinnamon, onions, honey, orange and tumeric, and I served a bulgar dish on the side. In the bulgar, I put almonds, orange, honey, sesame seeds, salt and mushroom broth. It sounds complex but was actually quite easy to make and definitely yummy and flavorful. Then yesterday, I found rhubarb at the Isla Vista Food Co-op (I've never seen it fresh in a store before so I had to snap it up!), so I made my first strawberry rhubarb pie. I could eat rhubarb pie every day. Please feel free to email me (jadecelene@gmail.com) if you'd like to have any of these recipes. I'm also excited to hear of any one else's suggestions.

Do you have any food-related habits you think reflect something about you? Or any recipes you'd like to share?

P.S. The rhubarb pie recipe is vegan friendly.