Beyond Food
“Every plate is a potential stage for nutritious, holistic and and delicious food, which sleeps with love, and a joyous and vibrant dance of ingredients right in front of us."
Food represents so much in our lives, it is what makes, literally. The presentation, taste and health, all create an experience within our minds, bodies and souls which translates into the way we move through the world and live our lives. It should bring out the best in us, making us feel good both in the moment and long after. The food we make and eat is one of the most important things we should consider in lives.
But food is also a love language. To me and many other Persians and middle Eastern’s, it’s a sacred way of giving and receiving love. It’s often a form of affection that’s given and received in places where words and actions are misunderstood or not communicated. Especially as immigrants, food can be our way of introducing ourselves and welcoming others in, making a connection where it’s hard to with language or culture.
Growing up, no matter the day or family dynamics, we all sat around the table to eat lunch and dinner together; and no one started until everyone was there. No matter what was going on, we knew that we all came together to share the homemade food that would nourish and feed us. Which meant that as we sat down to eat, subsequently we shared our stories of the day. Our food reminded us to stay connected and strengthen our family unit.
I fell in love with hosting supper clubs for this very reason. I wanted to create Persian and other foods to people but with a priority in it being healthy, thoughtful and made with love. From a lively working environment to clean food ingredients with no or minimum preservatives, mostly organic ingredients, risk free methods of heating up and storing food, minimum usage of plastic containers, optimum recycling, minimum food wastage, supporting natural and eco friendly yet efficient cleaning materials and far more … everything to it’s highest possible level of care and attention to everyone and everything involved in the process of creating a meal. Hosting my Persian Supper Clubs allowed me to make sure I could do this, while also reflecting the beauty of bringing people - and this time strangers - around one table to share and create community and connection through their love and enjoyment of food. It wonderfully emulated the Persian importance of family and community, especially in a western culture that is so focused on individualism.
To see people fall in love with the food that nourishes them and serves our planet, and then find fleeting connections or lifelong friends with strangers across the table, is one of my greatest joys.