Food, the biggest ever influencer

Let’s begin with a question - When we talk about sustainability, what are we actually trying to sustain? Is it resources? Is it the food ecosystem? Is it food production and supply? Over the past few years, the leitmotif in many a process in the food cycle has been sustainable food practices and commendably so. But taking it a notch deeper, at what level do these practices kick in?

Having worked in multitudes of hotels, in India and abroad, interacting with and learning newer cuisines, I was happy to gain knowledge, but I felt a missing connect that made me probe further and beyond recipes. Why this fixation with ghar ka khaana? Why the mandate for eating certain food preparations during festivals and many more? 

The crucial cogwheel then for me that holistically defines our culinary DNA are the food norms whence it all began. And these do not just date back to our grandmothers’ kitchens but as far back as the Upanishads. To quote, अन्नमयंिह सोम्य मनः – from purity of food comes purity of mind.

To elaborate this further, in this day of influencer marketing, I think food is and always has been the biggest influencer. Because what we eat influences who and what we are – mind, body and soul.

Our Vedic experts defined in incredible detail, what needs to be eaten, when and how; something the Western world has begun to take congnisance of lately and sadly, is getting acknowledged by us even later. At times, I wonder and I am sure we all do, how many of our forthcoming generations will know what their ancestors or even their grandparents ate? In my humble opinion, what then needs to be sustained is not just the source of food but more importantly, our food cooking and consumption practices.

For sustainability to be ‘sustainable’, we either need to become selfish or selfless. Selfish wrt revering our body as a temple, identifying what works for our body and making conscious choices. Once you are aware of what goes into your body, you automatically take cognisance of eating well holistically and that leads to sustainable practices. Or we become completely selfless and start from outward-in where we start considering the environment first, the resources first and sustainability automatically becomes second nature.

Closing the circle with where we began, if we understand, practice, perpetuate and above all, take proud ownership of our prescribed food practices, starting from our home kitchens, I believe we will be upholding and paving the way for one of the best sustainability movements.