As I grew up, most healthy foods became repulsive; eating used to be an arduous task. This phase involved people constantly commenting on how thin I was and how I should eat more and put on more flesh, muscle and fat. This eventually started causing insecurities within me about my body until college, when I shifted my focus from what I was not, to embracing myself completely; surprisingly my body changed after that. It was the first time I felt a sense of liberation in surrendering to what is.
My college days saw me develop a huge fetish for street food exploration. This was also backed by shows on TLC and Fox traveller that glorified food. Then, when I started working, I could afford the luxury of eating out at fancy restaurants and experiencing different cuisines and flavours (not that they were all very authentic).
Today, I settle for terribly simple food; something that feels soulful if not plentiful.
It's funny how my relationship with food is constantly evolving; of course in coherence with my ever-morphing beliefs.
In retrospect, I learnt a few things about myself. I'd like to call them my superpowers -
- I experience food (and pretty much everything I deeply connect with) with all my senses; I immerse myself in it and connect very deeply with it. I've had people wonder 'how could someone be so passionate about food?'
- It wasn't just the experience that I would crave, but also sharing that with others. I had the superpower to describe food, with every morsel of detail, that would leave someone's mouth watering to experience it themselves.
- My brain loves getting fired up with new experience; flavors and textures that tickle my taste buds.
Now, I'm still in the process of looking at myself, identifying more such superpowers and figuring out how I can leverage them purposefully across all sections of my life.
Contributed by Disha HK, Learning Facilitator at Sparkling Mindz Global School.
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