If a plate was placed in front of you at this moment, and the food on it reflected exactly how you feel, what would be on your plate?
I asked this question of someone recently and the reply was that their plate was empty. They apologized for not answering the question - but they did answer! This person is in a place of dispair and soul emptiness and longing for nourishment and nurture and for various deep reasons cannot find it. Our conversation then turned to comfort food and the memories of coming home from school for lunch on a cold winter day. You were bundled up against the cold and when you walked in the door you were eager to peel off the layers of heavy warm clothing and get to the table. A bowl of hot steaming, brilliant red, Campbell's tomato soup was ready for you. Soon to be loaded up with Saltine crackers too! For this person the child inside longed for the tomato soup of inner comfort yet at the same time was thinking of lobster bisque (same tomato base) as an adult comfort food. Somewhere in between the child and the adult was a hurting person who is struggling to connect the two.
Over the weekend a group was being served dinner. Baked chicken with creamy Dijon mushroom sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, steamed carrots and lemon butter asparagus, along with some mashed turnip was the evening main course. When the plate was placed in front of one person their reaction was "what is that slop?". They are suffering from severe depression and their pain could only see the indefinable, not the colour, texture or fragrance of what was there to nourish them.
Dressing up and going out to dinner often happens when we need a change and a "lift". One reason maybe, and perhaps this is more from a woman's perspective, is that when an artistically designed, flavourful and colourful beautiful meal is placed in front of us we feel beautiful. I know this to be true for there are times when I have needed to do that - go out to dinner alone - to be reminded by Abba of my own beauty and worth.
Dining out at ethnic restaurants awakens the sense of adventure within, as the music and exotic spices also bring all the senses alive through things that are out of the ordinary.
Comfort food choices are incredibly connected to the memories of how we soothed the hurt with that particular food. I believe that in our healing processes we can bring new foods into our diet that help create new patterns of wholeness.
I am sipping a cup of tea, Sadaf Special Blend with Cardamom Flavour, as I write. There are powerful memories of freedom and aliveness connect to this tea. It used to come in surprise packages in the mail to me, and it came with laughter and love. On the weekend I made a huge bowl of linguini with salsa commodore (tomato sauce), mushrooms and salami for the group lunch being served. When I lived in Italy, Signora Guilia would often make this simple sauce with tomato sauce, fresh basil, olive oil and salt. I love this sauce over pasta with a spoonful of fresh ricotta cheese! After the group had been served and I had my own bowl of pasta, I felt the aliveness and freedom that I experienced in Italia.
So I am wondering, if I could serve you something now, that would reflect what you are feeling, what can I put on your plate for you? If I could serve you something that could reflect how you would like to feel what can I prepare for you?