We eat first with our eyes

What is food?

Sustenance.
Nutrition.
Energy.

Mystery.

Each grain of rice locked up rock hard until treated with boiling water, then tender and full of aroma, the staple of half the world.

And an egg, sealed in its shell, hardly ever eaten raw, but cooked just about any way you can think of? A treasure of flavor and nutrition.


There's not much we eat that does not hold the potential to give tremendous pleasure. A simple carrot, while sweet and satisfying in its raw crunch, when roasted at just the right temperature with butter and herbs until the outside is caramelized and it is tender all the way through is full of richness and flavor. A potato, boiled then left to cool, when reheated is surprisingly silky. And chicken, the blandest of meats, but marinate it with the simplest of flavorings and it is a burst of wonder in the mouth.


I know there are plenty of people who eat to live, and that is a fine way. And perhaps I shouldn't live quite so much to eat, but what joy and pleasure to think of a meal, shop for the ingredients, prepare it with pleasure, and delight those eating? What better way to show them my love? What better way to show my joy?


Needless to say, I am thankful - for all these taste treasures, for all the hidden bites, for the samplings from around the world. Those vibrant, new-grass green olives that surprised me so the first time I ate them. A deep, dark chocolate cake laced with just a hint of cayenne that dances on the tongue and widens eyes.

Simple pleasures. Extravagant flavor!