Feeding ourselves and feeding the world, the journal of Tenzo: the wind of spring

The wind is sweeping the bird garden (1) this morning. After a restless night, the first hyacinths have gone to bed and the camellia flowers cling as best they can. The last leaves of the trees that were hanging on by a thread fly away. It is the great whirlwind of spring that is coming. It is the inter-season, the season of the earth waking up, but also that of the in-between. I am personally always disturbed during this period and more particularly before the spring and autumn equinoxes. My moods are unstable, my food too. It was in Japan that I learned that everything I thought was emotional inconsistency was actually an expression of a deep connection to the cosmos. This perception of self connected to the world literally liberated me and I was able to see how much in the West we forget this reality to put each "failure" on the account of a weakness of character or worse to blame our tired body "without raison ".

So let's remind ourselves with benevolence that all this nature that is activated jostles us, jostles us, and that's good. It is the sign of renewal, of a readjustment that allows us to stay in tune. And rather than struggling, let's observe, let's practice listening to this body and learning to understand it. The arrival of spring creates a drop in energy and calls the sweet flavor the time for this change. Allowing our body to adapt is an act of benevolence. We can also help it by giving it what suits it in this off-season, the first leaves, the acid flavor that will reactivate its digestive functions, and make it benefit from what nature has to offer, the rise of sap from the birches for example. .

Nagori is the imprint of the waves left on the sand and the taste of nagor refers to “the nostalgia of the season that is leaving us. »

In the spring, practicing benevolent cuisine means dealing with the situation, internal and external, to find the correctness, in silence, of one's sitting. It may seem surprising to discover what our body needs in the quiet space of our being rather than in diet books, yet it is the most effective way to reconnect with our intuitive "doctor-cook" wisdom. ". We can nevertheless deepen this feeling through holistic dietetics, and Yakuzen (2) is very much in line with the intuition generated by deep listening.

Oryoki (3) from the offseason according to Yakuzen principles

With the arrival of spring, the circulation of bodily fluids is awakened and the blood is purified. We prefer the green color and the acid taste, but without excess. We activate all the digestive function and we keep warm elements. Thus, by supporting the regenerative function of the liver, the vital energy of Ki is activated.

Oryoki with the nagori flavor of winter:

Nagori is the imprint of the waves left on the sand and the taste of nagor refers to "the nostalgia of the season that is leaving us" (3).

1st bowl: bulgur to be cooked in 2,5 volumes of water then left to swell for 5 minutes.

2nd bowl: a few leaves of kale, from which the stems are removed and massaged with a little lemon and salt to soften it. A handful of cooked chickpeas, tossed in a little oil, agave syrup and soy sauce, and roasted in the oven for 15 minutes at 190 degrees (stirring every 5 minutes) . Add a few pieces of perfectly ripe Conference pear and finish with a few walnut kernels. For the sauce, take a little walnut vinegar, a touch of brown miso, red wine vinegar and adjust to taste.

3rd bowl: grate a simple or tiger beet with a mandolin to preserve its wonderful shape, slip the slices into a freezer bag, sprinkle with a little salt and press it under a weight. When they have drained, they are pressed and seasoned with a little orange juice, a touch of vinegar and a few zests for color.

Once our meal is served, we take the time to contemplate:
– I look at all the effort and energy needed to get this food to me.
– I consider my way of life to know if it honors with dignity this gift of life.
– I see how much this abundance slices my greed and my anger.
– I recognize this food as my best medicine.
– I contemplate this food in the joy of seeing my life activated thanks to it