London ( UK ): With more than 100 present BK Jagruti Patel and BK Minal Patel welcomed all and, using a skit, explained how complicated life has become with different diets and no definition of ‘normal’. ‘Do we live to eat or eat to live?’ ‘Happiness and smiling is the most important ingredient in our life’. The importance of a sattvic diet, a pure diet, was explained. In Ayurveda this sort of diet is used for healthy living and keeping the mind clear, and this kind of diet is important for developing a state of higher consciousness. This is not just a vegetarian diet, but food rich in Prana (the universal life-force that gives life to all sentient beings, such as fresh fruits and vegetables). They also placed an emphasis on understanding the power of choice and meditation.
To warm up the gathering, they asked each one to consider what fruit or veg makes them feel good and four aspects why. They were then asked to act as different vegetables(!), followed by considering what they enjoy about cooking.
There were four short cookery demonstrations throughout the afternoon. First was BK Rosemary Turbeville-Smith who shared her recipe for ‘HAPPINESS in an apricot slice’ saying, ‘Happiness can come from simplicity and this recipe is simple and doesn’t induce any stress, which could affect your cooking’. ‘Happiness is also nourishment’.
BK Matthew Earle shared an inspiring story of how he became a vegetarian at the age of 30. “Making the decision to become vegetarian is not necessarily a moral decision, but it feels great to eat food that is conducive with peace. Subtle changes in diet can have an effect on our thinking. As we learn to meditate, we understand how food can have an impact on what we feel”. Accepting or declining food, though, needs to be done with virtue and good feeling.
BK Manju Patel created UNITY in making a healthy Uppam, a savoury snack, by using a variety of spices and unifying them to create a unique taste. She demonstrated ‘unity’ with BK Laxmi and emphasized understanding peoples’ specialties when cooking together. She reminded everyone that ‘cooking our own food is safer because we know what vibrations are going in the food and what ingredients are going in the food’.
After tea, there was a meditation sending good feeling to the body and sharing it with those around. Then BK Egils moved with CALM whilst making coconut chutney and sauerkraut. He shared how there is so much misinformation about food, and that fat you eat is the fat you wear. Eating a plant-based diet will see dramatic improvements in health, but also exercising helps as“you can never outrun your mouth’! Potatoes don’t make you fat, it’s the things you put on them that make you fat. So you need to be aware of what you are cooking with to improve your diet. We feel dissatisfied after eating due to not feeding the body the right foods. Aim to avoid oil and sugar. Coconut water is soothing for the gut. Green chilies are good for your digestion. Fermented vegetables are seen as “alchemy foods’, because you get enzymes which are created in the process of fermenting.
Another inspiring story was shared by BK Ami Patel, about how people opt to eat food that is readily available to them, because it is simply easier. It is really important to find a balance in life, especially in family life. A great tip is to plan your meals in advance, because if you don’t, it may result in you becoming demotivated and affect your food whilst cooking. She could see an improvement in her son’s outlook on life when there was a shift in his diet!
BK Afsoon Parsi demonstrated LOVE with an Iranian stew and says she holds the question ‘who am I cooking for’ as she prepares her food with love and care. The MCs shared more considerations to those gathered: What is the kindest thing I can do for myself today that makes me feel good? And What is the kindest thing I can do for myself in regards to my cooking and eating routine?
BK Jaymini Patel offered her thoughts, including how what is happening in the mind is very closely connected to the food we eat. She explained the importance of meditation in our routine as‘meditation allows the thoughts in the mind to really focus on the powerful Source, The Divine’. Happiness is something that everyone wants, and cooking can bring us happiness; as we cook with happiness it is put into the food and those who receive it will feel it. Food binds us,“when we eat together, we stay together’. She encouraged everyone to implement the practice of using virtues in cooking, to improve well-being. She explained ‘traffic control,’ pausing in silence to choose benevolent thoughts that creates power in the mind. This discipline of the mind is known as meditation. The mind is constantly at work, so choose the thoughts you feed your mind. As you look inwards, find the best energy and abundance of powers you can use in your cooking. We give “drishti, good feelings, to the water and food we eat and this energises the molecules and we feel this afterward. It is like grace in Christianity and people invoke the divine, higher energy to thank Him for the food that we eat.
She explained how to offer food, a practice that many spiritual places follow, blessing food before eating it. When you eat sattvic food (energy of truth) it will have an impact on your mind and your body and you will experience the vibrations of happiness and love.
Sister Jaymini then offered food, ‘bhog,’ together and shared a meditation commentary. The MC’s closed the afternoon with thanks and appreciation to both those who participated and to those who came.
