“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”- J.R.R.Tolkein.

Can you imagine a world without food? ( not in my time please!)  A world where I cannot immerse myself in a cloud of perfectly mixed aroma of different flavours, spices and even coming from the Mai Suya, the akara vendor and Iya Bolanle’s buka? A world where colour, taste, textures, temperatures associated with food will be sadly absent?  Food has become more than what we eat when we are hungry or one of the ways we survive as Adam’s offsprings on this planet.

Food has now become an aesthetic art,  a working tool, an icon for peace and you don’t have to be a foodie to be able to relate with the feeling of being at a gig while savoring a delicious meal. Like my daughter would say after setting up a bowl of rainbow coloured salad ;eat my art!

Lots of folks assume that being a foodie means you eat out a lot; but for us a foodie is a person that revels in the beauty ,textures, aromas, tastes of good food. Foodies invest quality time in creatively preparing and serving  meals. Your gourmet even finds a way to reuse leftovers such that nothing goes to waste. Am I talking to someone?

There’s food for every kind of situation season, emotion, phase of life and for every person in the world no matter how  picky the palate:

• Comfort foods can be eaten when you want a hearty meal and a little taste of home; a little nostalgic experience of the good  have beens. These are usually specific to different individuals and cultures. My comfort food- a bowl of white garri, peanuts and cold milk(don’t laugh) for those hot afternoons when everything seems to have fallen apart and I’m missing my cheer!

• Weight loss foods help keep the bulge away. Vegetables, fruits, certain spices, fibre rich foods, not forgetting water, legumes, grains (and their flours) root tubers etc all work to keep the flab away.

• Happy foods are foods that improve your moods; they instantly make you feel better. These foods wave off clouds of heaviness ,boosts your mood and gets the happiness hormones pumping through the blood. Your good cheer foods include apples, bananas, berries, spinach, dark chocolate, mushroom, oysters, salmon ,honey, eggs etc. So why not create your own platter of happiness by tossing some of these together?

• Did you even know there are brain-power foods? They help boost your productivity by keeping you focused and alert. These foods are chock full of polyphenols, DHA’S, cholesterol, (yes;the good one please) minerals and vitamins that support brain health and function. Some of these foods encourage brain healthy gut bacteria!  Blueberries, water, eggs, fatty fish and steaks, walnuts , tumeric, coconut oil, olive oil,almonds green leafy veggies like ugu, kale, spinach are examples of such foods.

Convalescencing  foods help aid the healing process whenever one is ill. Such foods are chicken soup, broths, garlic, ginger, coconut water, honey, spicy food, oatmeal, yoghurt, leaves and herbs, etc.

Junk Foods aka snacks, fast foods, just-about-anything-eatable foods are also out  there. You need not search for them . In the hectic lifestyle of today them foods come-a ringin’ at your  doorstep. From the pies, cookies, biscuits, rolls, breads all deliciously dressed with filings, creams, sauces, dips to catch your eyes and taste buds and then hook’em. Careful with these ones though. Often times they ain’t up to no good!

Food has proven to be more than just basic human need. It has become an intricate part of our society, market, gatherings, parties, and families. Some recipes have been passed down generations and have become largely celebrated family secrets.

Food has become a unifying factor, bringing people of different backgrounds and walks of life together, and helping them create great bonding moments that later become deeply cherished memories.

As in all things good, foodies and farmers all share a common love- the art of gourmet cuisine from the farm to the table!

I LOVE FOOD