Food For Thought

Having friends and family all over
India and across the world is one of the blessings that I am blessed with. I am sure
even you might be having friends and family across the length and breadth of the world.
The best part of this blessings is, one never misses home cooked food even if you
are away from home. Its
like “Home away from Home”

If I happen to have
breakfast with Almass at Delhi, she sure will make everyone say the “Duva”, “Bismillah
ir Rahaman e Rahim’, before taking the first bite. 

When having lunch with us at
Mumbai, you will join us in the prayers, “Om sahana havatu, sahano
bhunaktu…”. 

If I happen to have dinner with Jisha Samuel at Sharjah, upon saying
the prayers we will start off enjoying the savouries. 

The moral is, be it any
religion, any place in the world, the prayers are offered to Almighty and to
the food. It is a way to be humble and be thankful to the food that we eat, the food that makes us what we are! I
believe the entire India, for that matter, entire world is united in prayers
before food! Food has unique ability to bind people together! Shouldn’t we then be Thankful to food for uniting everyone?

Unfortunately, I never had cooking
as one of the subjects while doing my engineering or my post graduate studies.
I was introduced to it only after marriage. I soon discovered that I am an average cook! “Food”
posed as a toughest challenge for me and I took the bait! I trusted the age old
saying, “to a man’s heart through his stomach”. So I challenged my abilities
and learnt the art of cooking. I am yet to master it though! None the less, as
a side effect I have earned a niche in my better half’s heart and my kids as
well! It led to one more side effect! My self-confidence got the much-needed boost!
Thank you food for these welcome “side effects”.

I am forever indebted to
food for very interesting reason. Being nomads, we have been shifting our
residence from one city to another and at times we even cross the boundaries of
the nation! That means new neighbours and neighbourhoods, every 5-6 years! The best way to know  and get entry to a new family’s fold is “food”.
Aromas of fresh homely cooked food knows no boundaries, thankfully! A steaming hot
pot of delicacy in my hand, has augured well with my neighbours, so far! Exchanging
the delicacies from my kitchen to their dinning table and vice a versa makes the bond between the two houses harmonious,
for sure! Thank you to food that it helps me build a lasting relationship with my
neighbours wherever I go!

I am very much saddened when
I see people being careless about the wastage of food. There are thousands
and millions of the people who go empty stomach every night. And here we are,
who simply throw away the food. The only way to say Thank You to food is fairly easy… don’t waste it, respect it.  Love and food are for sharing and not wasting!

One can reuse or can donate it to some one
who will happily relish it. Let’s not stuff our plates with a lots of servings. Lets be mindful while eating or ordering food. Lets
recycle and reuse the left over food. There
is a magic in doing so! And believe me that it will not only satisfy your hungry tummy but also
your soul.  

Let’s not make our refrigerator a dumping ground for food. Buy only that much of vegetables and fruits that can last for a week’s
time or less. Aren’t these the simple ways to say “Thank you” to food? 

Thank
you “Food” for giving this food for thought!

In what ways do you thank food?
Share your ideas and experiences. It will help me as well…