Photo by Torkil Stavdal
In times like this we still want to feel our best. The times when there is enough money around we tend to somehow show it through our fashionable – and expensive- choices.
We shop when feeling down and dress up when going out. We are socially active and represent ourselves as having it together.
What then happens when it all falls apart and we cannot afford the anti-depressants of shopping and the self-esteem lifting of socializing?
We go inward. For some, this means to retreat to the couch and watch TV with chips and chocolate. However, this does not do the trick of countering depression or boosting the self-esteem. Quite the opposite. The fats and sugars wear us down and out and cause a downward spiral which only gets harder and harder to break every day. The staying in and being inactive causes a deepening of the feelings of being incapable and with that an even greater barrier to being social.
If any of this sounds familiar you are not alone. That might not help you much though. But what will help you is getting a new perspective.
Food is the new coping skill of the people in the know.
Food will help you feel better sure. I probably don’t have to tell you that. But what you might not think of is that food is also becoming the new fashion. It is becoming the new way of you expressing who you are and what you believe in. It is becoming how you can mingle and be social without shopping for the latest fashion and still be fashionable.
How about that. Taking better care of yourself and gain in your well-being. That is a new level of self-esteem that is far more lasting than the latest fashion you can buy in a store.
Restaurants are certainly becoming more and more food fashionable too. It used to be the scene that was hip, cool, and notable. Now it is about the food. Food is sustainably grown and harvested. Vegetarian and vegan food, and even raw food, is gaining attention from a broader audience of eaters. Chefs are looking to make a difference and are shopping at the farmers markets to serve the freshest and most local. The decor is no longer as important as the quality of the food. The presentation and the taste of what is on the plate is gaining the attention, not the chair that is chosen by the designer. The designer is the chef. More small restaurants are emerging again where the chef himself is the owner – and sometimes even your server too.
My point is. Eating well is no longer for the privileged few it is for all of us. We all need to see our food as our daily basis for living well, being well, feeling well – it is simply a well choice.
So my suggestion is – Enjoy your food, find the best you can, buy local and sustainable, eat organic as much as possible. Now that is a fashion you can use to make you feel better.
Eat well, Be well,
ex-fashionista gone foodista, Jeanette
Note: The appetizer dish above is from local heirloom tomatoes, layered with homemade guacamole with some smoked salmon in it, roasted baby artichoke hearts and a few sprouts to accessories. We served it for our guests at a recent dinner and they seemed to love it.
The news are stating that underlying factors play in to the risk of swine-flu. Of course – the underlying factors is another way of saying – how healthy are you? I think we have to realize that it is a flu which means, we are somehow all at risk and it is our immune system and our bodies ability to be stronger than the strain that determines our risk. Is it not the same with any disease that is caused by a bacteria or a virus? We are at risk when our immune system is down so that is what we have to deal with. Another risk factor that lowers immune system is stress and fear. What is the anti-dote to fear? Action!