by Gwynn Alcorn

Created on: April 26, 2009

What do we think about as we eat our meals?

In this age of chemically-laden and genetically-altered food, some of us are starting to think about the quality of the food we eat. But as a rich and busy society, even if we can afford the best organically grown food and someone to prepare it deliciously, what are we doing as we eat it?

There is a Buddhist saying that bears some thought, "What we think about while we eat is more beneficial than what we eat."

Too often we rush through the "job" of eating. But if it is only a job, even though we are eating healthy, nourishing food, we have not nourished our spirit, let alone given our body the time it needs to restfully digest and absorb the required nutrients.

The joy of eating together with a loving family, happy friends or even alone in a park with the birds singing, nourishes the soul. A restaurant that is full of beauty and peace and good food can do the same if we take the time to allow it. In fact, the inspiration for this article came from visiting a restaurant in small town, Alberta, with a good friend, where we focused on enjoying the ambiance of the restaurant and our friendship of 30 years.

The restaurant evoked in me thoughts of our eating habits in North America, where we bolt down our food and seldom thank the cook, let alone the producers of the food, and certainly we often fail to remember the earth that brings forth our food, except sometimes in a brief
pre-meal thanksgiving grace.

Many years ago I raised registered cattle that were not meant for slaughter, but for sale to improve the quality of other herds. Because I loved my cattle and treated them tenderly like my children, I was proud when they did so well in cattle shows.
Just like a mother

But one year, one of my favorite cows became injured and eventually the veterinarian advised that she could never reproduce again. That meant I could either have a 1,500 pound pet, or she could be slaughtered. There are few farmers who can afford to keep animals just for pets, and I couldn't, but I couldn't bear to have someone else eat Winnie, whom I loved so much.

And so we spent almost a year eating Winnie. For weeks I cried at every meal, but then I began to realize that Winnie was "giving" herself to me so that I would have the strength every day to continue looking after all the other wonderful cattle I had.

And I began to bless Winnie in particular, and the other food in general, for giving up life for my sustenance.

Have you ever seen a child in a third world

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