Food is one of the great joys of life. We may need it to live, but food is far more than a utility. Food is something we buy, we enjoy, and we value. Food adds color to our lives.
Which leads us to the question: What was your best meal ever? Can you pinpoint one meal, one occasion, when everything went right—when everything was perfect?
What made it perfect? Was it the setting? The aroma? The colors? The taste? The company? The conversation? All of the above?
Maybe it was a simple meal, enjoyed with family. These are often the best meals.
Maybe it was a fancy meal in an elegant setting—on a momentous occasion. That could be the case.
Maybe it was a meal enjoyed a thousand times, prepared with love and appreciated in return.
When we think about food, we really think about life. A good meal contributes to a good life.
The aroma, flavor, texture, and appearance of our food evoke powerful emotions and equally powerful memories. We feel something stir inside of us when we smell something familiar.
Food comforts us. Food sustains us. Food excites us. Food makes life worth living.
We enjoy our familiar foods. They ground us. They give us certainty.
We also enjoy trying new foods. Trying new foods is a metaphor for life itself.
Sometimes we find something amazing when we try a new meal, a new dish, a new food. It adds color to our lives. It makes us think, “Why didn’t I do this earlier? What else might be out there?”
And yes, sometimes trying a new food doesn’t lead to happy results. We don’t like it at all. We might even feel like we wasted our time, our money, and our calories on something we don’t like at all.
But we don’t know unless we try. And if we don’t take some risks, however minor, we may miss out on so much. This is true of food, and it is true of life more generally.
Most of us want to celebrate the tried-and-true and try the new as well. Let’s do just that! Your best meal ever may be in the future!