About My Blog and Food Philosophy

Food plays a tremendous role in our daily lives.  In its basic form, food nourishes us, sustains us, and fuels us…it’s what keeps our minds focused and attentive and our bodies running smoothly.  But food is so much more than that.  Food is how we celebrate (birthday cake), how we spend time with our families and friends (Sunday suppers), and how we express our culture and traditions (what would Thanksgiving be without turkey, Christmas without cookies or a Yule log, or Ramadan without lentil soup?).  An Edible Mosaic is a true celebration of food itself.

 

Breaking Bread

 

The tradition of breaking bread literally goes back thousands of years[1], and never ceases to bridge the gap between people.[2]  The act of eating is a completely sensual experience.  Imagine, for example, the smell of fresh baking bread…the look of its crusty brown exterior and airy white interior…its soft feel in your hands.  Your senses are delighted before you even taste it.  How could people share such an experience and not feel closer afterwards? 

 

Symbolic Significance

 

Certain foods or dishes have symbolic significance.  In the Middle East coffee is served to guests toward the end of their visit.  It’s basically a nice way for the host to ask the guests to leave without having to say it in so many words.  Once when Mike and I were staying with his family in Syria, there was a guest that showed up unannounced for a visit.  As custom goes, my mother- and sister-in-law served him all manner of teas and sweets in what seemed like an endless procession of food.  All the while Mike and I (and the rest of his family) were waiting for the guest to leave, since we had previous plans that had been interrupted.  After a couple hours of eating, drinking, and talking, I pulled Mike aside and asked him how much longer he thought the guest would stay (and I was thinking, how much more can one person ingest?!).  Mike told me that his mom was making coffee, and he explained that coffee signifies to the guest that it’s time to leave.  And he was right, the guest was gone within the half hour. 

 

Medicinal Properties[3]

 

Many foods have medicinal properties beyond just providing our bodies with fuel.  You probably know that ginger is used to help reduce nausea and motion sickness, garlic can reduce the risk of heart attack, and clove can be used as a topical painkiller (for example, to provide toothache relief)…but did you know that sage extracts can stimulate fertility, turmeric aids in fat digestion (by stimulating bile flow), and oats act as a nerve tonic and may help relieve depression?  Even sweet-smelling jasmine, which was originally grown for the perfume industry, has a plethora of health-promoting benefits, such as reducing menstrual cramps, treating skin problems, and improving emotional state.  The more I learn about food and its various uses, the more I realize just how little about it I actually know.

 

I believe we truly are what we eat.  Keeping that in mind, I think there’s a time and place for every type of food, but moderation is the best practice.  You won’t find diet or fad recipes here, just a focus on real foods that sustain our bodies and minds, bring people together, and make a house a home. 

 

My recipes don’t focus exclusively on any one cuisine or type of food, but instead embrace the foods of many cultures.  So much can be learned about different cultures through what they eat and how, when, and why they eat it. Welcome to my mosaic of recipes.

 

About Me

 

My name is Faith (formerly of Thought 4 Food), and I’m a twenty-something living in Upstate New York with the love of my life, my wonderful husband, Michael.  I enjoy reading (cookbooks, mostly), watching movies (fantasy, horror, historical fiction, and thriller), and am enamored with ancient cultures (especially Rome and Egypt).  My favorite foods are grapes, spinach, and chicken makhani, and my vice is Swiss dark chocolate. 

 

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