January 14th - My Food

January 14
I am grateful to have food. I will say, I am not a Master chef, I'm far from it. The most technical thing I probably cook on my own is either chicken parmigiana or nachos. I would love to cook, in fact, I may take up the challenge this year of learning how to make different cuisines on my own.

For half my life though, I had a dislike for a lot of food. I either thought it looked disgusting, found it had a weird smell, had a memory of a texture of certain food to be off putting or I just didn't like the taste. During my younger days, around the time I was beginning kindergarten, right through until half way through high school, I was very hesitant to not try new foods. And I can easily say my body had malnutrition, it was clearly visible and my strength was below average. I remember eating junk food at any chance I got because that was the taste I enjoyed the most, but I only ate from fast food chain restaurants like McDonald's, Hungry Jacks and KFC. If I wasn't eating this type of food, I would be eating rice, beef or chicken curry and daal (a.k.a lentils). That was my normal meal for dinner. I should have been grateful back then to even have that for dinner but I remember finding it bland, repetitive and just not enjoyable. I thought Sri Lankan food was either this bland or outrageously spicy. I specifically remember thinking that Sri Lankan food had the same taste to biting into a raw cardamom seed. It was only a few years ago that I realised that it was cardamom seeds which I dislike and have steered away from them, but thankfully I have found a liking to Sri Lankan food, and in extension to that, I have found a liking to many many different types of food.

Now that I am not as afraid of food, I have found a great gratitude for it. I am learning the nutritional value in different food and cuisines to help my mind and body work to its very best daily, and discovering which foods aren't either good for me or as the Cookie Monster says "a sometimes food". I am even now grateful that I have any and many types of food in my possession, to eat when ever I wish or whenever I am hungry. I see food as a source for daily survival, and I remember being told to think of the starving children in third world countries who don't have food. As a younger child being made to feel guilty for not eating a meal, I never took it seriously.  But if that statement doesn't make you think, how about you think about the people in your own town who are homeless and search for a few bits of food to help them last through the night. Food can be as valuable as gold to them. I have seen these people and have given them something to eat, and I have seen the gratitude in their eyes and they thank me. This indeed does play in my mind often and re-ignites the flames of gratitude for having food right there in front of me, or in my pantry, in my fridge, or in my freezer. And I try not to abuse food, or waste food as it is something I am glad and grateful to have.