Eating Is Gorgeous
The pleasure of eating is not mere gourmet. If we know the people whose vegetables have grown beautifully and healthily, perhaps, we will have such a memory with the food, and enjoy the pleasures of eating. It means that the knowledge of the good healthy food relieves and comforts the eaters. The same goes for eating meat. The thought of the attractive pasture and the strong calves contentedly (滿足地) flavors the steaks. In other words, we eat every day to sustain our bodies with understanding and with gratitude. It’s better that we go to the traditional marketplaces and cook in the kitchens by ourselves. In this way, we choose the freshest food and guarantee the best available standards of our health. Anyway, eating with the fullest pleasure does not depend on others. In this pleasure, we experience and celebrate our independence and gratitude.
However, eating out at our favorite local restaurants with friends and family can be fun, too. It is also the pleasure of eating to have great meals and good food services with well-prepared food safety and sanitation practices. Most restaurants and food service operations value the customers’ health, and work very hard to prepare tasty and safe foods for eaters. Nowadays, our government even asks the local health departments conduct routine food inspections to make sure that the food is being handled properly from start to finish. This includes that the food is purchased from an approved source, is in the best and safest conditions, and is properly cooked, cooled, stored, and reheated. We can also look at the food service facility and its equipment to make sure that everything is clean and secure in working orders. By keeping these things in mind when we go out to eat, we would protect ourselves from the possibility of getting sick from food that has been improperly handled, and appreciate so much the pleasures of eating.
By the way, when dining in a well-reputed restaurant, we expect the food to be presented exquisitely (精緻地). The world’s greatest chefs are not only masters of flavor, but also the artists who use the plates as a canvas to be savored. Food tastes better when it looks good. Plating a dish artfully is about more than just aesthetics. Visual presentations act a powerful tool for improving the overall experiences and flavors of food. That is, beautiful food always gets attention. Studies have shown that food is often perceived to actually taste better when presented in certain graceful ways. When eating out, for the most part, we really want pretty and tasty food. Furthermore, when it comes to food, it seems that we are willing to pay quite a bit for attentive labors of ingredients. So, making a plate look lovely is important, not just elegant or fancy. Recently, photography in cookbooks and on social media, Facebook or Instagram in particular, has certainly served as a source of inspiration for those who just cook for themselves or their families. Of course, the key to a good-looking plate lies in the love at its core. Whenever the cook prepares and dishes up something made with care and attention, the results, definitely, are destined to be delicious.
Life is short. It’s OK to enjoy food! Our relationship with food can be complex. Yes, no doubt. We and food are stuck together for life. Putting it simply, food might be the most complicated relationship in our lives because we have to eat three meals every day without exception. Have you ever noticed that you’ve just eaten something, but can hardly remember what it tasted like? Our busy and stressful modern-day lifestyles may have to do with this. Or, our minds are so busy planning the next move, so that we don’t allow time to savor the food we eat. It only takes 10 minutes for our brains to detect (覺察) the body’s signals that we’re feeling full. Therefore, eating quickly can mean that we could easily consume too much food before our bodies tell us to stop, leaving us feeling uncomfortably full. In fact, the “grab-and-go” meal has become a common means of refueling the bodies for many people who think that there’s never enough time in a day. Nevertheless, it is really important to be aware that we are in control of our own eating habits. Even though we may be short on time, there is no excuse not to be mindful of the foods we’re putting in our bodies and how we consume them. While having eaten, we have to enjoy sensations, flavors, sounds, smells and sights at a time as if we’re having a great time of tasting. Eating is one of those simple pleasures that we’ve lived in this world. It cannot be overemphasized that eating mindfully is a way to get back in touch with the pleasure of food, and it comes with many benefits to our health and well-being as well.
Food nourishes us. Food helps us stay alive. Food is fuel. And, food is tied to our experiences and memories. Yes. Food can bring us back to the laughter shared between us and the loved one. Food connects us! Cooking unleashes (解開) the imagination and has given us countless ways to enjoy food. Eating indeed brings genuine happiness to our lives and foster feelings of comfort, peace, and care. It is amazing that food does so much for us. In reality, all of these magnificent foods truly give our bodies the nutrients we need to grow, develop and live, and foster so many pleasurable, loving, and meaningful experiences to us. Cheers! Let’s have a lot of joys of eating.  

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