Our subsistence is the way we choose to nourish and nurture ourselves and care for the world around us. It is the flow of existence made up of our habits, joys, traditions, and idiosyncrasies that builds who we are.
Tess Murphy
There is a point in our lives when we realise that all the exciting fad dieting and the intensive bouts of bikram, following by months of no exercise, are getting us no where. We crave balance, clarity, and authenticity. I found this spot in my early twenties. I would try every new regime that excited me, it was intriguing learning a new philosophy and theories on health, but I found there was always at least some aspect that I struggled with which would eventually force me off the wagon. At twenty five I became vegan, I had toyed with the idea for years but hadn't had the confidence to step outside the social norm. A whole new journey began when I made the choice to cut out animal products. Not because I believe a plant based diet is the only way, but because I believe it is the best way that I can heal my body while relieving pressure on our beautiful earth and all the creatures that occupy it. Once I began weaving my diet and my personal philosophy I found that I could live in a much more peaceful and beautiful way. I was no longer worried about what the media and the internet were telling me to do, I made my own choices based on what I believe and what sits well with my consciousness, and with my tummy.
Once I busted out I found that sense clarity and authenticity. I feel comfortable with a plant based diet, in terms of health, ethics, and environmentalism, and it allows me to express my creativity in the kitchen, finding weird and wonderful whole food versions of traditional favourites, and even new meals designed entirely to fit my nutritional and emotional needs. This balance was not something that comes instantaneously, I had to feel my way around this new path, this newly introduced culture that contradicted with many things I knew and loved - glazing the ham on Christmas Eve, being that girl that was open to all foods, sharing communal meals with friends and family, baking the perfect buttery danish. The separation from the culture I'd grown up in was the hardest, but I was creating something new. That's a terrifying concept but it's also empowering; building a new social and cultural identity that you have designed yourself, taking control of your consumption, your body, your impact in the world. Our world is so interconnected now that stepping out of one cultural group will only land you in another. We are never alone. We can create a diet that fits us, our beliefs, passions, idiosyncrasies, and daily lifeways and still be a part of something beautifully inclusive. Nutrition is not hard work, food is to be enjoyed and celebrated. Everything brings it's own special value to the table (pun unavoidable) - flavour, experience, history, nourishment, and if we learn to work with these we can build a symbiotic relationship with our subsistence.
I can still have my favourite nostalgic treats, I just redesign them, making them even more significant to me. Food should be something that we create, building a little piece of ourselves on a plate, full of joy and comfort and all the things we love. Consuming that sort of nourishment keeps us grounded, in body and mind. If you don't feel good about what's on your plate, your bodies not going to be happy with it either. My recipes are designed to be recreated in your most loving space and to be injected with your own personality. They are ideas that you can incorporate into your own life and make your own. They are not gospel, there are no strict rules when is comes to food.
Once I busted out I found that sense clarity and authenticity. I feel comfortable with a plant based diet, in terms of health, ethics, and environmentalism, and it allows me to express my creativity in the kitchen, finding weird and wonderful whole food versions of traditional favourites, and even new meals designed entirely to fit my nutritional and emotional needs. This balance was not something that comes instantaneously, I had to feel my way around this new path, this newly introduced culture that contradicted with many things I knew and loved - glazing the ham on Christmas Eve, being that girl that was open to all foods, sharing communal meals with friends and family, baking the perfect buttery danish. The separation from the culture I'd grown up in was the hardest, but I was creating something new. That's a terrifying concept but it's also empowering; building a new social and cultural identity that you have designed yourself, taking control of your consumption, your body, your impact in the world. Our world is so interconnected now that stepping out of one cultural group will only land you in another. We are never alone. We can create a diet that fits us, our beliefs, passions, idiosyncrasies, and daily lifeways and still be a part of something beautifully inclusive. Nutrition is not hard work, food is to be enjoyed and celebrated. Everything brings it's own special value to the table (pun unavoidable) - flavour, experience, history, nourishment, and if we learn to work with these we can build a symbiotic relationship with our subsistence.
I can still have my favourite nostalgic treats, I just redesign them, making them even more significant to me. Food should be something that we create, building a little piece of ourselves on a plate, full of joy and comfort and all the things we love. Consuming that sort of nourishment keeps us grounded, in body and mind. If you don't feel good about what's on your plate, your bodies not going to be happy with it either. My recipes are designed to be recreated in your most loving space and to be injected with your own personality. They are ideas that you can incorporate into your own life and make your own. They are not gospel, there are no strict rules when is comes to food.
Nutritional Anthropology - the study of food and nutrition from evolutionary, behavioural, social and cultural perspectives and how these interact in the production of nutritional health at the individual, community and population levels
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