In Biology, we are taught that ‘all living beings obtain
energy by direct or indirect means for proper functioning of life processes to
ensure survival and stability. In short, food is required by all organisms to live.
When the body has synthesized all it has got, it asks for more, which is a
phenomenon called ‘Hunger’.
Do we really eat merely to ‘ensure survival’ or to satisfy ‘hunger’?
Seeing the high rate of obesity among children, I don’t think that’s the reason…..
If food had been just for survival, man would still have
been dependent on carrots, cabbages, apples, watermelons, potatoes, wild grass
and other raw veggies. He would not have created different cooking styles, recipes,
etc. There’s definitely something more to food that attracts us…..
Think of it. Different places have different cuisines to
offer, all equitably delicious. Had it not been so, life would have been so
‘spiceless’ and drab....
Since I was a kid, the major attraction for me in weddings
and functions has been food. The preparations in the big fat marriages like the
sweet-smelling deserts and ‘mithais’
, the snack stalls, cold beverages and the main course itself, make me harpy…
In restaurants, the menu card in itself is enticing to look
at. The pictures and the very names of dishes brings the child in me out,
wanting to eat everything available.
Even at home, so much so as a tasty vegetable (like Paalak
Paneer or Chole) would suddenly increase the number of rotis that day (happens
with many others as well…).
This sudden increase in appetite is a testimony to the fact
that food is far from just a reason of existence….
If something has got good points, it definitely has got some
bad ones as well. The tastier food you take in, the farther will the needle
move away from ‘zero’ (hope you understand) , something which makes ‘ figure
conscious’ people (I mean, women) scream and pledge not to touch high-calorie
food.
So it happened with me. Having realized my favourite dress
didn’t fit any more, I moved on to salads and soups (boiled veggies, argh...!!)
It must have continued for a week when we received some sweets. The neighbors
had bought a new car or something. Initially, the small white spheres drenched
in sugar syrup appeared to me as ‘adipose’ moulded into something so very
irresistible. I vowed I would just take a bite, only for taste, but soon all of
it was gone. That day, I understood how taste overpowers all vows and pledges.
Truly said, “Strongest is the person who can stop after a peanut”.
All this signifies food is not just a biological
requirement, it’s an art. Various people show their skills off as food
decorators and why else would we have food colours and salad dressings…??
Food is like meditation. When we are tense and dejected, the
very drop of chocolate sauce on the tongue titillates the taste buds and the
mind wanders off into thoughts as sweet as the chocolate, making us forget all
our troubles ,which makes food also an excellent stress buster….
Thinking of my love for taste I hope I remain a foodie and
don’t turn into a phagomaniac….!!!
जीवन कोई कसौटी है।
