Lamb is Sexy

(written years ago, but this post came up last night over lamb dinner...)

Hands down….lamb is sexy.

I know no other word that better describes a piece of lamb loin.  The flavor of lamb (and its fat) is so balanced and full that it just takes a hold of my taste buds and  envelops them with the most delicate and sensual flavor.   Its intoxicating, really…ok, maybe that’s the syrah…

Today this beautiful lamb was accompanied by a mushroom risotto and a very special syrah from my amazing friend, Cindy. 

As I enjoy my delectable meal, one of my favorite books comes to mind; “Like Water for Chocolate” is centered around cooking and the idea that the emotions you feel as you prepare a meal are infused into the meal itself.

So can our intention or emotions affect the quality of a meal? 

The theory behind macrobiotic cooking supports the idea that one’s emotional and mental state is paramount for a nutritious meal. It suggests quieting the mind and maintaining a meditative state right before and during food preparation and cooking. It states that what nurtures us from a meal is not only the quality of the food but all of the intention and emotion we invest while cooking.  In a macrobiotic way of life, special consideration is even made to cut each food item a certain way so to maintain a balance of yin and yang energy within each cut.   It is believed that even the emotion that is felt by the animal at the time of its death can be transferred to the consumer, hence reinforcing the importance of humane slaughtering of animals (the idea of humane slaughtering is for another discussion).

Personal experience tells me that there is a difference in the quality of a meal dependant upon one’s intention while cooking. I think about times when I have had fun cooking with someone…I love this concept…I love the idea of creating something with someone, in this case a meal,  that is later  consumed with that same person.  There is something so amazing about this process and I know that with each bite I take of that co-created meal, I can feel the intention and emotion during the preparation.   I also know that there were times when a family member cooked for me when I was sick and with every sip I, felt better.

Maybe that’s what made tonight’s meal especially tantalizing.  After a hiatus from creative cooking, I got the bug to cook again.  I’ve been waiting for this bug to take a hold of me again and this week it happened; I decided to give lamb cooking a try and I wonder how this enthusiasm might have transcended into the meal. 

           

So whether it’s empirically true that one’s emotions and intention during cooking are transferred through the meal, I guess we will not know…for I am sure this is not a priority topic for NIH to study.  But in the meantime, I will go with my personal experience and will assume that intention is transferable…at least in the realm of cooking.

now what?

Six months later and I finally set my blog to public, only to reveal one posting and nothing to say.

First time is the hardest?

For the past two months I have been craving expression, but have not had a medium for it. No doubt my imminent need to express is a product of my existential struggles life has gifted to me this month, but I've also been thinking about this blog idea for months. This medium may satisfy my need to share and maybe I will also get better with my writing. I am too lenient when I journal and allow for shortcuts: forget punctuation, brush over details, use nicknames and generalities. However, when I write with the intent of sharing it, I care more about punctuation, fluidity, and structure.

There's one small problem; I have not told anyone about my blog and have set it to private. I have a need to express, but not a need to be judged and we all know that we all judge. I feel very self conscious and vulnerable, why on earth would I share this? Besides, who really wants to read this crap anyway? Really. Why would someone read this? Voyeurism? I've only read a few blogs, but I've known the author or the blog is about a subject matter of interest to me. This is just mental masturbation; a practice in discipline and commitment.

I read today on another website that creativity comes in 90 minute increments and so we have to commit the possibility of creativity for at least 90 minutes. In other words, sit in front of the computer, canvas, or camera for 90 minutes before you give up on the task. I'm going to try this with my writing and my camera and see where it gets me. Maybe I'll get to the point of sharing this stuff.