In reflecting on the above quote, I don't think I have done any of these things very well for too long a time now...not that anyone would have noticed that is, but for at least some of them, it is time to start and dining well, is a good place to. I have always enjoyed food... the aromas, the sight, texture and of course, the taste. There are some things that enliven my pallet more than others... lobster of course, chocolate is another and fruits of many kinds...great bread or cheese, but I am blessed with the ability to really enjoy and thus appreciate good food. I have heard others tell me here and there that eating to them was mostly about gaining sustenance...filling their belly so to speak and that makes me sad...both for them and for whomever might have the misfortune to have to cook for them, for in my opinion they are really missing out on a large and meaningful part of life. As I mentioned in the post linking to this on my other blog, whether it is a fine meal received in a good restaurant, or enjoying a lovingly home cooked dinner, a special picnic, or even a box of strawberries shared in the car, eating is one of life's great experiences and however it is that one shares a meal with another, is so much more than just simply putting food into your mouth. It has to be. Yes, there are times when 'grabbing a quick bite' has to be done, but those times should be rare and it breaks me to see families or couples at a table, sitting staring at their phones or some other distraction as if they exist in different worlds, ignoring what is possible. I have certainly found that no matter how good the food is or how carefully it was prepared, that there is no more of a solitary act, than sitting by oneself, eating alone...
As long as I can remember, I have always wanted a home based food structure...a place to grow my own food...vegetables and livestock to eat. Natural, wholesome. Nothing elaborate, but enough to share with friends and those around me and the idea of having a co op of some sort has been appealing for years. When I was young, we had a small, city type of yard, but in my teen years moved to a more suburban location that afforded my father with space for a large garden and greenhouse and I always enjoyed my time in either of them. I remember with fondness the tasks of growing, gather and preserving our own food. As an adult, the idea of sharing raising chickens and eggs and other animals along with a suitable orchard and garden seemed like a good one. There could be nothing better than to fellowship with such a purpose. Going out myself to hunt and intentionally gather my 'sustenance' has in the past been a privilege that I have enjoyed and all of this should all be part of the process of eating. I think in modern times, we have removed ourselves too much from the perhaps unsavory, but necessary acts of sourcing our food ourselves and are denied the awareness to the history of things that find themselves on our plates. I think it diminishes the whole experience. Dining well should encompass all of these things.
Now in a place where it is impossible to do what I would dream and in a period where work alone, captures the vast majority of my time, I have had to give up some of these home grown ideals. I can only but hope now at least that I can still engage with good culinary choices to source and prepare a table and when I might have the rare opportunity to share dinner with another, that it is healthy, tasty and enjoyable. I hope that by doing so, perhaps some of these other things spoken by Virginia Woolf above can fall into line as well. I still believe all of them should be essential to life.
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