Foodlosophy to Fill You Up This Ramadan

Azim Azimzade. Ramadan of the poor people. 1938

Food is tied to everything we do and everything we are. This is true even when we abstain from eating it, as is the case for the millions of Muslims who are currently fasting for the holy month of Ramadan. In addition to the nutrition and enjoyment derived from consumption, food can have an even larger impact when it’s used as a spiritual aid. And by used, I mean not used, or at least withheld for a significant period of time. Sacrificing food and other indulgences can mean strengthening one’s spirit while ensuring a profound appreciation for the nourishment so easily taken for granted.

Photo of family preparing to enjoy Iftar in Bejing, China (Huffington Post). Check out more photos of Iftar from around the globe here: Ramadan Iftars From Around The World

It’s no wonder that food has the power to transform both personally and politically. In the course of his lifetime, Mohandas Gandhi fasted several times. In his fight against political injustice Gandhi called his fast “a god given opportunity” (History.co.uk). In addition to an opportunity, fasting became a powerful tool in the fight for caste equality in India. Furthermore, fasting is a valuable method integral to “passive resistance”, a philosophy that calls for peaceful progression towards achieving goals, often in the face of violent opposition. Of course, not all fasting is done in such dramatic fashion, nor is it solely intended to bring about political change.

Bush Plum Dreaming, Japingka Gallery

This Is Just To Say 

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold





The above poem, by minimalist poet William Carlos William, is one of my favorites. I can see, taste, and feel the situation as it unfolds, as though I were the consumer of the stolen plums. It's simplicity at its best.

On behalf of mother nature's wrath (aka storm Jonas) I have spent the afternoon cuddled up, getting lost in some rather voluptuous poetry while the snow blusters on by.  After coming across this old favorite, I was reminded of that simple joy, sensation, which I now share with you. This is just to say that I hope on this icebox of a day, you too have the luxury of curling up with some palatable poetry and indulging in your own (stolen?) plum, perhaps poached instead.

N'oubliez Pas. . .

To feed your mind and soul.

                                 

                                  Yes that is me in the reflection of the massive cutlery.

       

It would seem that with all the delectable and tempting culinary delights to be had in Paris, one would become lost in a sort of sensory induced state of taste-consciousness, forgoing pleasures of a higher sort in favor of mindlessly pursuing lower indulgences. That's obviously not the case. But it's easy enough to imagine how someone like you or me could be crushed by her overwhelming passion for baguettes or seduced by the sumptuous array du fromage and as a result, well, lose an appetite for tastes of the intellectual or spiritual assortment. Perhaps it's actually the contrary though.