The book starts with a simple, yet profound question: “What should we have for dinner“. This question is relevant to me in many, personally significant, ways, not the least because, lover of food as I am, years ago I posed a very similar question to my mom, asking her “What do we have for dinner“, which sparked my first argument with her and initiated my quest for… God… But that is another story for another day…

The book takes us on a journey (and I love journeys; what with this site being subtitled “Journaling my spiritual journey”) across the main ways we put food (or what we think is food) at the table. From the fast food restaurant (which does not require a table per se, as you can consume it in the car), through the industrial agricultural chains which start with massive fields of corn and end with massive shelves at the “regular” grocery stores, taking a detour through what is labeled as “organic” food at your local Whole Foods, to the most fascinating destination — for me personally at least — the Polyface Farms in Virginia.

Now, this is a truly inspiring and thought-provoking destination, not the least because my parents retired as subsistence farmers and because the example of Joel Salatin and his Polyface Farms validates some of the principles with which I grew up, but also enriches them.

The book finishes with the adventures leading towards the “perfect” meal — the meal where everything is grown or gathered or harvested or hunted by one’s own hands, and those of the friends with whom you share the meal. Michael Pollan is the first to admit that such a meal is not practical, not at least on a daily basis. But as he rightly reflects, a fast food meal is not sustainable on a daily basis either.

I once wrote a song called “Sapling” with a verse paraphrased as this: “There are many fruit trees in the orchard of humanity but not a single one of them would give you the satisfaction of the fruit you grow with your own hands”. I will do my best to garden more and explore more, foraging Mother nature’s offerings; I will also sign up for a share of a community supported sustainable farm. But I will also do my best to share more meals with friends…

As I was sitting today at lunch with my team mates celebrating one of their birthdays, I surveyed all of them asking them how often they ate their lunches at the desk: three to five days a week, most answered. And I myself have become equally complacent in this regard. So, here is to new year resolutions, and to resolving the omnivore’s dilemma: I will eat more healthy, sustainable meals among friends and family. Will you join me? If so, let me know.

A brief summary of the lessons learned:

• harmony with body is health
• harmony with others is peace / love
• harmony with the universe is spirituality
• the ego shouts; the soul whispers

Chi-ers to spending time with nature and the real self!

When last Monday’s study circle served food for thought — and the soul — I was not aware yet how timely Abdu’l-Baha’s words would be:

When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 29)

Now looking back after a tumultuous week, I am so grateful for all that enabled once again my inner peace — God’s grace, the help of friends, long walks, mindful breathing, and two books. But I also reflect on the fact that peace is not an easy thing — it indeed requires work and effort. “A stronger thought of peace… a more powerful thought of love.”

The two books I have found so helpful are The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by the Arbinger Institute: a very important book which by explaining the dynamics of how we box ourselves into warring hearts, we render ourselves impotent to invite peace in others, until and unless we reach that peace within our own hearts; and Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk who reminds us that the choice between peace and everything else, joy and everything else, life and everything else, happens in every little step, in every little breath, in every little moment. Do yourselves a favor, read these books. But more importantly, reward yourselves with a deep, calming, soothing breath. “Breathe, you are alive!”

The Arlington County Fair was heavily promoting the idea of living without a car and it seems I am ahead of the bell curve in this. Recently I signed up for ZipCar, the carsharing service where you can rent a car by the hour. And I walk a lot. Now, that does not make me particularly web exercised but it is a step in the right direction. I am still as shy as before about group sports. The other morning I watched a group of guys playing volleyball in the park and I wondered how one finds sports buddies. I live in a unique place where within few hundred meters from my apartment there are tennis courts, swimming pool and what not. So, one of my Olympics-inspired ambitions is to try to overcome the fear of sport that has been burdening me ever since I almost broke my back in 5th grade when doing some crazy gymnastics unsupervised.

Blessings to all!