Food Philosophy

I've been thinking a lot about food lately. Honestly, I've been taking it for granted for most of my life. But I don't think this is uncommon.
Here's the evolution of my food philosophy.

Food is fuel
Being very practical in the past, food was a basic necessity of life. It just had to give me energy and fill me up. So I just hawked my food down. Not sure if I even chewed.

Mamak! Roti telur dua!! Banjir Kari!

Food is medicine
For the past year, I've been reasoning with nutrition and the effect food has on my body. Very scientific: choosing the most nutrient dense foods. I am heavily influenced by the Chinese Yin Yang food philosophy, appreciating the benefits of medicinal food like ginger, cilantro and bitter gourd. And I experimented with 'poisonous' food e.g. duck, beef, pork; just to see the effect on my body. I now pay attention to digestion, starting by chewing my food thoroughly.

'Let food be thy medicine, and thy medicine, food' - Hippocrates.

Food is sex
With increasing appreciation of food, I've come to realize its power. Not only does it affect the physical but also the emotional self.
I've Chinese recipes for for my physical well-being e.g. fatigue, irritable or a bit under the weather.
I'm now exploring how food affects my emotions. Everyone's got their comfort food: chocolate or ice cream when you're feeling down, good wine when stressed (but these are poison: refined sugar, artificial flavors, alcohol). That's at the basic, blunt level.
I want to learn of food that invokes curiosity, that piques my interest, that inspires. So now I eat very slowly - savoring each bite, appreciating the tastes and texture, being mindful of my emotional reactions.

'Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity' - Voltaire

Food is God
It humbles me when I think of how my food came to be: how the gifts of Mother Nature are transformed by the passion of the cook. Food connects us. Each meal is a blessing.
Now I've realized why food plays such a significant role in all the major religions.

'Eat, for this is my body. Drink, for this is my blood.' - Jesus

Food
Food nourishes us on so many levels: it makes our bodies strong, it inspires our mind, it connects us to God. We eat so many times a day, it is easy to take it for granted. My one regret is that I wasted so many years in ignorance. Today, I'm eating less but I feel so much more satisfied.

'The more you eat, the less flavor; the less you eat, the more flavor.' - Chinese Proverb