Tenzo Note 7: Savouring Complexity

I am a cook, and I can only share what I know and experience within myself and what I observe around me every day.  

What  I see lately is more and more guilt for not doing things properly. Every day, I feel the personal and collective frustration of not doing enough for this world, of not being capable of doing what we believe should be done. Personally, my perspective revolves around food and every day I feel that I could do more for animals, people, and the environment, all of which suffer due to our food system, I know  I am not alone. 

It is overwhelming, and I can't take it all. This self-imposed pressure often weighs me down and robs me of joy and my natural abilities. So, I have learned to change my strategy.

I am a plant-based cook, and I am passionate about the colours, textures, flavours, varieties, and forms of all vegetables and fruits. I think my favourite is the Kaki. I discovered this fruit during my time in Japan and have remained fascinated by it. The most delicious dried Kaki (hoshigaki), with its sensual sweetness, is a famous winter delicacy, usually derived from the biting variety called Hashiya. The sweetness is hidden in the heart of the fruit, which needs to be unripe and dry to bring out its best. This polarised dynamic quality is described by the adjective "shibui," which is also used to describe people who may be rough on the outside but are very sweet on the inside when unripe. It's a combination of both good and bad.

I like to think that we are all like Kaki fruit, whose essence is fully realised when we dry off our illusions and sweetness reveals itself when we awake from them. 

I have noticed in myself that when I am overwhelmed by the toxic responsibility of saving the world and doing good for others, the sweetness within me cannot manifest. When I become too busy to think about how to do good, I forget what is truly good, and I lose the ability to feel the essence of my own life, let alone share it with others.

Going to the market for me is a way to reconnect with life—people, colours, joy, abundance, and the movement of seasons manifested every week reactivate my joy. This month in Bergerac was the asparagus and artichoke festival. Last week, I had the pleasure of tasting the first cherries, a herald of summer. Pure bliss. The acidity and the sweetness are just a marvel. 

Food is life. Being in contact with it means connecting with the true joy of living.

For me, food is the best way to momentarily forget what I should do to contribute “ more ” to the world, and paradoxically, it allows me to do the most. It brings me back to my body and helps me appreciate the present moment, whether buying groceries, washing vegetables, cooking, or sharing a meal with others. All of these activities are the same to me—a dynamic expression of marvel that makes me feel alive, tasting extraordinary in my ordinary life, rain or shine.

I always remember a line from the wonderful film Sweet Beans (by Naomi Kawase -2015), " where a grandmother who survived Hiroshima, at the end of her life, said to her grandchildren: "All that is asked of us in this life is to contemplate."

So, I would like to share with you the first of the five contemplations that are still recited at every meal in Zen temples in Japan. It has been recited for hundreds of years, and maybe, just as it does for me, it can help you remember that all we need to do is to contemplate our world, our life as it is, embracing its complexity, suffering, joy, rain, and shine.

"I contemplate this meal and acknowledge all the energy and effort that were necessary for this food to arrive before me."

This contemplation will speak to you differently every day of your life. It is an activator of your inner knowledge. Depending on what needs to be revealed to you at the time you read these words, you will see different things. It will open a space from which you can gain insight. So, I leave you to imagine all the trails from all lands, times, and cultures.

And  If you feel inclined, please share in the comments section what your food told you today with this contemplation.

All I can say is “be ready”! you will realise that it is the whole world from all times that you receive at your table l, so please enjoy this extraordinary celebration in the ordinary of a simple meal. 

Wish you well.

Valerie D.H