DO YOU LIVE TO EAT (or Do You Eat to Live) - HOW TO EAT YOUR FOOD - The Art of Eating

HOW TO EAT YOUR FOOD

THE ART OF EATING 
By
VIKRAM KARVE

There is no Love greater than the Love of Food

Are you in the habit of “grabbing a bite”...?

Do you ever eat in the office while continuing to work or just skip meals altogether...?

Do you multitask while eating...?

Do you have power breakfasts, working lunches and business dinners...?

Do you eat fast and hurriedly, finish meals well ahead of everyone else and eat in bigger bites without savoring the taste of food...? 

Can you vividly recall the taste of all the dishes you ate during your last meal? 

Do you eat when you eat...?

Do you want to master the Art of Eating and learn how to enjoy your food...?

Remember, there is no love greater than the love of eating – so read on, learn and try to master the Art of Eating...  

Good food must be savored delicately; slowly, attentively and respectfully; in a befitting manner, with finesse and technique, with relish and appreciation and you will experience true gustatory delight.

That’s the essence of the Art of Eating.  

Art of Eating

It is sacrilege to eat in a ravenous and rapacious manner.

Never eat when tired, angry, worried, tense, hurried, and at mealtimes refuse to think or talk about unpleasant subjects.  

It is best to eat alone, mindfully, with yourself, in glorious solitude, in a calm, serene, conducive and unhurried environment.

If you must have company, you must always eat with friendly, relaxed and tranquil people who love food and whose company you enjoy; never eat with “toxic”, “harried” or “stressed-out” people or in a tense or hurried atmosphere.  

First plan your “eat” and then eat your “plan”

If you want to do full justice to good food, you must build up an appetite for it – merely being hungry is not enough.

And the first step towards building up an appetite for good food is to think about it – simulated imaginative gustatory visualization to stimulate and prepare yourself for the sumptuous indulgence.

An important thing we were taught at boarding school was to read the menu and prepare for the meal by beginning to imagine relishing each and every dish, from soup to pudding, in our mind’s eye.  

Remember: First plan your “eat” and then eat your “plan”. 

Eat your food Twice

It is true.

I eat my food twice. Yes, I  EAT MY FOOD TWICE.

First I “eat” in my mind’s eye – imagining, visualizing, “vicariously tasting”, fantasizing, strategizing on how I am going to savor and relish the dish to my utmost pleasure and satisfaction till my mouth waters and I desperately yearn to eat it.

And then I do the honours – actually go ahead and physically eat it and enjoy the delightful experience.

That is what you must do - EAT YOUR FOOD TWICE - first “taste” the food in your mind and then relish the food on your tongue.  

Eating is not a gustatory experience alone; it is visual and olfactory as well.

Food must look good, smell good, taste good and, most importantly,food must make you feel good.

Do Not Multitask while Eating

The Art of Eating – a Holistic, Multidimensional experience, encompassing all domains of your inner being.

Eat in silence. Mindfully. With full awareness.

Savour the aroma, delicately place the food on your tongue, chew slowly and experience the variety of flavours as the permeate your taste buds, fully aware and sense the nourishment as the food dissolves and sinks deep within you.

Chew your food to a pulp or milky liquid until it practically swallows itself.

Never mix food and drink – alcohol dulls the taste buds, and olfactory sensation, and encumbers the unmitigated enjoyment of good food.  

You must always close your eyes during the process of eating.

When you eat, you must eat. 

Do nothing else while eating. 

No seeing, no hearing, no talking. 

No multitasking. 

That’s right – you must never multitask while eating.

Just eat.

Yes - when you eat, just eat.

Focus all your senses on your food, eat mindfully, meditatively, and you will attain a state of delightful bliss and happiness.  

It is simple. Very simple.

Create a positive eating atmosphere, an environment of happy conducive vibes, honour your taste buds, respect your food and eat it in a proper state of mind, with love, zest, awareness and genuine appreciation and it will transport you to a state of bliss and happiness.

Remember: There is no love greater than the love of eating.  

In a nutshell, this is the “Art of Eating” 

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. 

© vikram karve., all rights reserved. 

Disclaimer:

All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

NB

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Did you like this article?  

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About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional  and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@hotmail.com

Twitter: @vikramkarve

      

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

YORKSHIRE TEA - A Gift from England

YORKSHIRE TEA

A Gift from England

By

VIKRAM KARVE

My wife has a wry sense of humour. Last year she visited my niece Pooja in Yorkshire on a holiday and guess what she brought for me from England – a box of Tea Bags, yes, Yorkshire Tea. Now that’s like “carrying coals to Newcastle” isn’t it – getting Tea from England to India!

I love tea. But I like to brew my tea in traditional style and don’t fancy tea bag brewed tea which I find quire flavourless and insipid. So I was really surprised when I tasted a cup of tea made from a Yorkshire Gold Tea Bag. I truly enjoyed the rich, full-bodied, bright cup of tea with a lovely refreshing taste and fine elegant flavour which I had never expected from a Tea Bag. Next I tried Yorkshire Tea (Red Label) Tea Bags – a slightly stronger tea akin to Assam CTC suitable for drinking slightly later in the day

Since then I begin my day with a morning cuppa of Yorkshire Tea and this is what I do for a quick cup of tea early in the morning.

I boil a cup of water in my microwave oven. Place a Yorkshire Gold Tea Bag in a cup and pour in the freshly boiled water. Let it brew for three minutes and then add milk and sugar.  Now I leave the tea bag in the cup to let the tea get stronger as I drink.

I couldn’t get Yorkshire Tea in Pune so when anyone goes abroad I tell him to get a box of Yorkshire Tea. I wonder why we can’t make tea bags in India as good as a Yorkshire Tea Bag. After all, the tea leaves go from India and are blended at Yorkshire. The tea bags out here result in quite an insipid flavourless tea. Also there is this terrible habit of dipping the tea bag into a pre-boiled concoction of milk and water which produces the worst kind of awful tasting flavourless bland tea. I feel that pouring boiling water over a tea bag helps release the flavour much better. Then one must let it brew for a few minutes before adding a dash of hot milk and sugar. Probably, that’s why the high quality Yorkshire Tea Bags do not have a string attached and are not the Indian style dip-dip type tea bags.

As I said I love tea and drink at least five cups of tea a day. I start my day early in the morning with a delicious cup of the rich and refreshing Yorkshire Gold Tea.

Then, with breakfast I have a cup of traditionally brewed Assam CTC tea to perk me up.

Click here for my recipe for a delicious cup of tea.

Mid-morning, I must have a nourishing cup of stimulating Amrut Tulya Chaha.

Click here for the recipe for Pune Style Amrut Tulya Tea.

In the afternoon maybe a cup of strong rejuvenating full-bodied Red Label Yorkshire Tea made quickly microwave style.

As the sun sets, what can be a better way to relax in the evening than savouring a cup of tea-pot style traditionally brewed Darjeeling Tea.

Can any tea lover tell me where I can get a box of Yorkshire Tea Bags in Pune or India? And if you are going to England don’t forget to get me a box of Yorkshire Gold Tea Bags.

Cheers! Have a cuppa…

VIKRAM KARVE 

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2010

Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

VIKRAM KARVE educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU, Lawrence School Lovedale, and Bishop's School Pune, is an Electronics and Communications Engineer by profession, a Human Resource Manager and Trainer by occupation, a Teacher by vocation, a Creative Writer by inclination and a Foodie by passion. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. His delicious foodie blogs have been compiled in a book "Appetite for a Stroll". Vikram lives in Pune with his family and pet Doberman girl Sherry, with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog -  http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com  

Academic Journal Vikram Karve –  http://karvediat.blogspot.com

Professional Profile of Vikram Karve -  http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve 

Foodie Book APPETITE FOR A STROLL –  http://books.sulekha.com/book/appetite-for-a-stroll/default.htm

Email: vikramkarve@sify.com

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.