Our first experience of food is often synonymous with love: we are held, we are fed, and we are cared for--all at the same moment, by our mothers. In Hindu tradition the first rite of passage occurs when a baby reaches six months old--when he or she eats a mouthful of rice, the first food that is not mother's milk. The rice-eating ceremony is celebrated in the presence of a priest, often in a temple, with a gathering of relatives to witness this important transition in the child's life. Mantras and prayers are said, Such a ceremony reflects a worldview where food is sacred-- a blessing and a gift-- and being fed is not to be taken for granted.
Our culture doesn't express this worldview. We look at food as fuel, as something we need to keep going-- our Energizer battery. We view food as a commodity, something that people need and so a thing that can generate profit. Of course food is fuel and is a commodity, but that is not all it is.
Our culture doesn't express this worldview. We look at food as fuel, as something we need to keep going-- our Energizer battery. We view food as a commodity, something that people need and so a thing that can generate profit. Of course food is fuel and is a commodity, but that is not all it is.
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