Living Well, A Life Well Lived (At Least at Meals)

 

Guiding Philosophy of a Culinarian

Essential to living well is to be intentional in how we live. When it comes to what we feed ourselves, to have care and concern for the way we approach that important part of our experience in life is important. 


So there are the stoics, who seek to live a rational and moral existence by seeking to do what the ought to do, to live a disciplined life. Then, there are the epicureans who sought to live rationally and morally through avoiding pain and seeking pleasure. Mainly avoiding pain. If a choice must be made between those worldviews, seeking pleasure, not meaningless pleasure, but pleasure that contributes meaningfully to one's life seems to be a worthwhile perspective. 


So, if the culinarian were to prepare a meal of highly processed foods, that "cook" would be a traitor to the greater good of maximizing meaningful pleasure and minimizing needless suffering, to avoid pain. The culinarian, whether stoic or epicurean in nature should seek a higher pleasure in high quality nourishment, a meal that satisfies the body and also the senses, and one if enjoyed with another person that meal edifies all who gather at the table. A functional cook or a culinarian, the emphasis is the same: A life well lived!


Living Well: The Culinarian's Key Focus

Brandenburg Culinaria's key focus

    A culinarian must be intentional. A culinarian remembers this one key idea, always. When we are in the kitchen, what we do is an example of the care and concern for those who would eat what we cook. Even ourselves, we need to remember the person who is going to eat the food is worth the effort and attention necessary to put our time, talents, and energies into what we are producing. What will the meal say about how we feel? Will it communicate to the consumer that the producer cared? I certainly hope so.



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