What can be better than to start a food and culture by saying grace. Almost in all the cultures in some way or other there always has been a practice to express gratitude before and after any meal. Some thank God the supreme provider, some thank the Nature and some thank the provider who is in the near vicinity. And oh! some may like to kiss the hands which cooked the delicious meal.
Where I come from eating food is (or rather, was) considered as a religious act akin to offering a sacrifice to the Gods. To quote the shlok in Sanskrit-
अन्न ग्रहण समये स्मर्तव्यम नाम श्रीहरी l भवति सहज हवनं अनायासही नाम्ना lजीवनं जिवितेभ्या अन्न ही पूर्णब्रह्म l नै तद उदर भरणं जानीयात यज्ञ कर्म ll
It says that before partaking the food do remember the God. The food is considered to be the offering which is to be put in the sacrificial fire which is the stomach so that it reaches the Gods, which here is our own body. The food itself is God. So each act of eating is to be treated with great care and due respect. Alas! if we could have indeed followed this in its true spirit rather than in the letter we could not have been afflicted by all these ailments of obesity, cholesterol, blood sugars and what not.
Well I wanted to start the blog on more crunchy note but then thought to make a grateful beginning and mind you, this is just not the lip service. Seeing what all is happening around in the world indeed makes me somber. Last evening was listening to BBC report on Madaya Syria blockade where the food aid has reached after many months. Read here about Madaya issue. A local was quoted saying after eating and exhausting pet cats and then grass now he was feeding water boiled with some pepper and other spices to the children. Indeed depressing. Yes, we all can spread cheer by contributing to this cause (there are several Madayas around us) financially or by offering our services or the least by sharing a meal with less privileged.
Nothing can be better to elevate the depression than a chocolate. Do you remember the scene in Harry Potter when he is attacked by the dementors for the first time in the Hogwarts Train. He comes out of it but has gone cold to the core and then his sleepy Professor in the coach offers him a chocolate to get the warmth surged in him. The dementors depict the evil which suck everything good and warm in us and chocolate and the very act of sharing the chocolate depicts the love and warmth getting exuded spread driving away the evil cold.
And when it comes to chocolate there is hardly a brand and type I detest (except for the chilly chocolates of Malaysia) but nothing can beat Cadbury’s Dairy Milk. Why so? May be in some future post. For now get a bar, break a square or two…. share a piece or two with someone ( well handover the smaller of the piece) and then pop one in your waiting mouth and savour the smooth silky texture melting by the warmth of your heart.
