Life and Soul

Appreciation of Food

I love being in countries like Thailand and South America, I’m sure there are others, they really shows you and gives you the appreciation on food. Many times when in the company of locals when eating you really have to put any preconceptions about what you are about to eat behind you. Much of the food that is placed in-front of you may look alien, let alone fit to eat, but out of respect for the people offering and out of self need to do away with any western conditioning as to how your food should look, taste… you eat.

Usually a surprise of the depth of taste or the quality of the delight amazes. We in the west are so drawn away from the act of killing or collecting for food, even the preparation most times is taken out of our hands so that what we buy is prepackaged and tarted up to look nothing like the original source. On many occasions in Thailand I have been offered food and my initial response is to say no thank, not hungry, even if I an starving. I understand the ability to look stupid or non respectful so 99 times out of 100 I will eat it even if the taste is not my usual palates liking. The fish here in Thailand springs to mind, cooked up with the head on and presented the same way to the table, usually with the mouths stuffed with all manor of spices, then left out on the stall or out in the sun to dry up, which makes the look even more distasteful. The flies crawl all over and  who know how long it been around. Then you eat it, it’s a humbling and personally furthering experience. All should go through it. When you get back to the west you notice how tasteless and unsatisfying all the food is, from fruit and veg through meat, fish etc

Magic Mushrooms

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Ecuador -Part 9

I felt it necessary to stop smoking the herb while in South America, the last time I had been there 3 years before I had been eager to try the local weed, mainly fresh Columbian. On one of the first nights I had gone out with one of Cecelia’s friend to score, returned half an hour later with a ¼ which had cost a mere $5 ($60 in England). After 4 days of smoking I felt my control or awareness of situations slipping away.
I stopped smoking completely, wanted to stop smoking! This was most unlike me.
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