Passion on a plate

"There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread."
~ Mahatma Gandhi

I think it was Sophia Loren, that voluptuous siren of the sixties, who famously said, "Everything you see, I owe to Spaghetti," and believe me; one had plenty to see, for she had plenty to show. Since then, I was always overjoyed eating Spaghetti and hallucinating about all that I seemed to see in her. First eat, then we do everything else: For eat, pray, and love, in that order, makes the world a merry-go-round.

One cannot think well, love well, and sleep well, if one has not eaten well; and since, by necessity we all have to eat, it would be a waste of opportunity to eat badly. So, ask not what you can do for your country; instead ask, what is there for dinner.

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food," said George Bernard Shaw in Man and Superman, and I have found that people who love to eat are always the best people: to move with, to trust, and to befriend. I always say that if a man really likes his polsambol and polos, he must be a pretty-decent sort of fellow. If only more of us valued food-and-cheer and song, above hoarded gold, this would be a merrier world.

What a variety the world offers by way of food. If tomatoes and oregano makes it Italian; wine and tarragon makes it French; sour cream and salt makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon makes it Greek; soy sauce and oyster sauce makes it Chinese; garlic and ginger makes it good; curd and treacle makes it, undoubtedly Sri Lankan.

The days when one man's food was another's poison has long vanished. We live in an age where one man's food was the discovery of delight to another's. Take curd: is it not milk's leap towards immortality? Who would not love it when served with treacle; even though, it is essentially a Sri Lankan discovery - a delicacy of delight that no other nation knew to delight in. What is Cauliflower, if not Cabbage with a college education? Mix the two, add a little tomato, mushroom, and cheese; bake it with macaroni: After eating it, you will feel like forgiving anybody, even your enemy.

Meal

I always considered the people who invite you for a meal; give you their heart. However, at times, when I invite a female friend, I find that they take it amiss. I feel, it is absolutely unfair for women to feel that we guys only want one thing: We also want food, and we also like serving food to friends. Good food, if anything, ends with good talk, not what they think it will end with. Food is such a unique cultural experience because it involves everyone and it has existed forever. Some lament the sadness of dining alone, while others are staunch proponents of the act. Some insist against eating animals, while others celebrate the flavours of cooked meat. Some say: eat to live, others say live to eat. What ever it may be, we are indeed much more than what we eat; but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are.

Promises and pie crusts are, meant to be broken. Hence, eat your way with abundance to a spicier life, forgetting your promise of dieting.

Be not a glutton, but an explorer of food. Part of the secret of success in life is to eat as you like and be content with what you have eaten.

For centuries, the smell, taste, and appearance of food had been touted as, passion producing.

Thus, certain foods are reputed to strip away inhibitions, put you in the mood, and improve blood flow, enhancing performance and pleasure. In truth, there is not much scientific proof to substantiate the link between food and passion.

But that is no reason why, one should shy away from these so-called natural love potions. Experts say that most notorious food aphrodisiacs are a treasure trove of nutrients, needed for good health.

Thus, love may be good, but a little chocolate now and then will not hurt. Avocados were prized by the Aztecs. Ancient Greeks and Romans feasted on figs to promote potency. Pomegranates were, also known as "love apples."

Ancient civilisations were in fact on to something when they feasted on such foods. As proved by modern science, certain vegetables and fruits are loaded with vitamins and minerals required to produce the hormones necessary for arousal of passion and pleasure in both men and women. Hence, turn up the heat with this food considered as sensuously delicious aphrodisiacs.

Honeymoon

Honey: Ever wonder where the term "honeymoon" came from. Some believe that the honeymoon originated as an ancient Babylonian practice that involved drinking mead, a honey-based alcoholic drink, for a lunar month after a marriage to improve stamina. Centuries ago, the newly weds in Europe adopted this practice and drank honey wine during the first month of marriage for the same reason.

As a bonus, the long-ago love birds also got small amounts of beneficial vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from honey.

Chocolate: Cocoa powder processed without alkaline provides the biggest bang for the buck. It contains the highest levels of the antioxidants associated with lower blood cholesterol levels, reduced inflammation in blood vessels, and maximum blood flow.

Darker chocolate contains more cocoa powder. The Aztec emperor Montezuma's chocolate consumption is legendary. Rumour has it that he drank 50 glasses of honey-sweetened chocolate a day in the name of virility.

Salmon, Sardine, and Mackerel (Salaya and Kumbalaw): For that matter, most small fish varieties harbour an abundance of omega-3 fats, which qualifies it as a natural mood booster.

Garlic: Rich in antioxidants that protect against cell damage, garlic is said to, stir desire, and increase blood flow: a vital ingredient for virility.

There are many and more such goodies; but in the final analysis, it is good health, that is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

A delicious meal can be a prelude to many a memorable moments. The act of cooking together can even be a form of entree, and the smell of food can ignite intimacy.

Cooking, like love, should be, indulged in with abandon or not at all. I always love a culinary challenge and the chance to discover that with leftovers one could make such wonderful meals.

It is a pity, and it saddens me to note that these days, with the advent of fast-foods, people eat garbage; of course, liberally sprinkled with ketchup. As for me, I like my rice. Rice is great if you are hungry and feel like having 2,000 of something.

There is no other basic food, which will fit into that category of gastronomic extravagance.

Can one eat 2,000 potatoes? Ask any guest and he will confirm to the fact that one can eat 2,000 grains of rice. "The guest is a better judge of a feast than the host" is a saying from ancient times.

Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food, water, shelter, and affection; they will think you are god.

Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realise that, if you provide them with the same: food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.

There are people also who think likewise. However, the moral virtues in humans are, produced not by food.

There are other criteria for such matters. Food only prepares in us the ground for their reception; and complete enjoyment of it is the product of habit.

Thus, one of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. In the final analysis of life, the belly rules the mind.

See you this day next week. Until then, keep thinking; keep laughing. Life is mostly about these two activities.

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