DRINK YOUR FOOD, CHEW YOUR WATER
“The more you eat,
the less flavour;
the less you eat,
the more flavour.”
Chinese Proverb
My
elder brother, Franklin, had a large circle of friends when he was a young boy.
One evening, a friend of theirs had invited eight of them to his house for a
dinner. The friend’s family was known for a judicious lifestyle… They cooked
less, seldom wasted any food or indulged in any sort of excess. So, that
evening, when my brother and his seven other friends went around the dining
table at their friend’s house, they were in for a shock: besides a
moderate quantity of rice, chicken gravy, some veg dish, there were sannas
(soft idlis prepared at Mangalorean/Goan Catholic houses)… But, only ten or so in number!
Each one in the
group took one sanna... “Eat very, very slowly,” the leader of my brother’s
mischievous group instructed in whispers, “You won’t be able to pick another
from the table.”
So, they settled
for one sanna each, and kept munching and chewing like a cow, slowly,
gently, and even gladly…
I remember my brother
coming home that night and narrating the episode. Our mom chided, “Good lesson
for you Bakasuras… You hog my twelve sannas in no time; and you
were forced to take an hour to finish
one… Very good!”
Last
evening, I was describing to Franklin (over the phone) as to how I had cut down
on my food quantity. “For my breakfast, I take only one Ragi roti with a small quantity
of cooked vegetables," I said, "but, I eat very, very slowly… Nearly 15 to 20 minutes to
complete it… chewing it well, almost making it liquid in my mouth.”
Instantly, my
brother, remembered the instruction he and his friends had received from the
leader of their group: “Eat very, very slowly… You won’t be able to pick
another from the table!”
That old instruction
was given in jest… The young men – who were Bakasuras otherwise – were
forced to eat like a cow, dragging one sanna in their mouths for eternity!
But, this new instruction now is given quite seriously… It’s accepted by choice: “You erstwhile
Bakasura, even if there are a hundred sannas on the dining table,
you better settle for only one… taking ample time to savour it… Literally drink that sanna…
that solitary, precious Ragi roti.”
The Chinese knew it for centuries:
“The
more you eat, the less flavour;
the
less you eat, the more flavour.”
GERALD D’CUNHA
Pic’s: 1. www.YouTube.com 2. www.onlymyhealth.com
Video: Balance For Life
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