Food is back, and I worship it

My griddled peach and goats cheese salad

I took a few months break from using my Instagram account that is wholly dedicated to food. On this account I posted recipes, mini restaurant reviews from all over the world, kitchen tips and tricks and even sprinkled it with some nutritional info at times. I can't remember why I stopped using it, so I won't make up an excuse, but it sure was nice to eat and not be taking pictures of every plate of toast I made (although my boyfriend's superior phone camera would argue that I definitely did still do that).

Good news is, she's back! My @thehappy_tum handle is live once again and is now the main social linked to this blog, my website and my writing work. I've had a bit of an upgrade.

At first I thought that linking my foodie Instagram account to my professional and creative work website was quite frankly a stupid idea. But then I remembered that such a vast majority of my published writing is centred around food and, even though my blog hasn't explicitly touched on cooking or food yet, is an integral part to our human existence. Our absence of or access to food defines us within a society, and there's no escaping it. It is our life force, it is everything. So really it was not a stupid idea at all.

Homemade pickled cucumber, garlic yoghurt & yoghurt flatbread

I will be writing some foodie content on the blog from now on, sometimes but not always linked with what's going on @thehappy_tum. This will range from recipes, a review or two and maybe some diet and lifestyle comment.

Because I'm still writing creatively, and because I haven't shared much of my creative stuff, here is a poem. I find that poems about food are wildly underrated, if not least because they are a comforting reminder that almost everyone the world over turns to food in times of grief, joy and boredom alike.

Food, the Universe, and how food is my Universe.

Cooking is my meditation

Food is my mantra

and Eating is my self love practice

It represents everything;

How we look after our bodies,

Our relationship to nature,

To seasons,

To soil,

To Mother Earth.

My kitchen is my alter and I pray daily,

Consistently,

Like the rhythm of a monk at their monastery.

When I respect food

It respects me back,

Turning nutrients into magic within

My bones,

My blood,

My inner system.

Just like God, the Universe, Divine spirit,

What goes on behind the scenes of our body

cannot be seen

or manipulated

or ever truly controlled.

But we can implement the sweet practices,

The positive mantras,

The kind of honour

That will ensure that what we do see

Is nothing short of a miracle.