12 Aug 2019

Fed Up & Food Choices – Video Documentaries

by | posted in: Cooking Advice, Sabbatical, The Human Condition | 2

My trip to India and S.E. Asia opened my eyes to a lot of things around food that we are not exposed to in the U.S. Imagine a farmer’s market going on every day with all the local people selling their freshly harvested farmed fruits and vegetables, and meat and fish too. Yes, every single day!

I got so used to the high quality of produce that coming back to shop at the grocery store in the U.S. is just so boring vs the markets in Asia. Plus, I do not know when the bulk of items here in the stores have been harvested because of the sophisticated genetic modification to keep products on the shelf longer and the technology of refrigeration and atmospheric packaging.

When I was in India and Nepal, I lost weight because of my diet which consisted of rice, legumes, fruits and vegetables with very little meat/fish/dairy. Then I went to Thailand and ate and ate and ate and gained all the weight back. I wasn’t even eating much meat. I love Thai food because they know how to balance the tastes on the palate… sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami. There is lots of sugar in Thai food too.

So, I come back to the U.S. in attempt to adjust. I go to all the Asian and Indian markets to provision my kitchen so I can cook and eat all the foods that I love from half way around the world. I also go out to enjoy a cheeseburger and French fries which I haven’t had in 7 months. Being by myself I realize once again how much time it takes to prepare the foods I was so used to eating overseas. Yes, of course… because cooking from scratch takes time and hopefully, you’re putting love into it too. I was living and staying with folks where we all were cooking together… many hands make light work. Also, the cost of labor is very expensive here in the U.S… For instance, a worker in India gets paid 300 rupees a day, the equivalent to about $4.

Then I get called to Colorado to help with my father… food is not high on the priority list… just plain nourishment at this point. While I’m away I’m back eating meat and foods that aren’t particularly good for me. UGH. Yet, during this time, I know something isn’t quite right.

All the years of teaching culinary arts and cooking I’m aware of the unethical treatment of animals and how we treat companion animals differently. I’ve watched many undercover videos from drones exposing smithfield foods and seen the effects to the land from satellite images of factory farming. Is this for real? Why have I not woken up to this fact and why have I not stopped supporting this direct destruction of the earth and treatment of animals? I know I’m not the only one in this predicament which is why I felt I needed to write about it.

It’s amazing to me that it takes 2,500 gallons of water, 12 pounds of grain, 35 pounds of topsoil and the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline to produce one pound of feedlot beef. Most of our farming is to produce the grain to feed the animals, not US. Plus, all the negative effects on the body from eating meat… and yet it’s still being produced and consumed. One of those documentaries said… our species (human) is the only species that lives in disharmony with nature. Where does this even make sense anymore? Now in South America they are clearing rainforests to raise cattle.

A lot of this is a capitalist and business thing. We need to work and make money, right? The U.S. has this down pat. Businesses have dictated us to work 40 hours a week because that is the number where we can be most productive for the business. But, what about our own peace of mind and being able to enjoy our life? Do we really prefer money, prestige, and success over morals, ethics and science?

One of the things that woke me up was watching a couple of documentaries. Fed Up and Food Choices.

I’d also recommend Forks over Knives. I was flabbergasted and disgusted both with myself and the government. If there is a government made up by the people and for the people, then why are there government policies still existing that have been scientifically documented to be truly hurting us humans and animals? I get it that big business has created an oligarchy in our government. Did you know that this report by the world health organization about sugar intake never made it to mainstream U.S. because the sugar companies and their lobbyists threatened to pull the $400M the U.S. gives to them?

In the roman/greek times, there were an elite few (kings, priests, high ranking military, etc.) who were able to afford to eat meat, dairy, and alcohol. And those were the people who got sick with heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure. Now… we are all the elite… affording all the same things the few did in the past. And at this time… we are all seeing the effects of our diet in the U.S. from meat, dairy and alcohol. Just look at the news about obesity rates.

I had a time in my life where for many years I was eating super clean. In the ways the world health organization is recommending. I was 167lbs and trim. Now I’m just over 200lbs and wanting to shed about 20-30lbs once again. And I know the only way is to listen to my body and some of the expert scientists around the world talking about a plant-based diet. Something in me is motivated this time around.

One of the problems is that I’m teaching cooking based on Escoffier’s Le Guide Culinaire which is all based around meat cookery and dairy. Didn’t I just talk about the problems for our bodies when we eat these kinds of foods? I’m not sure what to do at this point about all this. All I know is I’m going to do my best to share the wisdom I gained from this past year in Asia and have the most positive outlook as possible.

I know my outlook isn’t fully aligned to that at the moment. I’m working on it.

 

 

21 Jul 2019

Sharing and Requesting Forgiveness

by | posted in: Personal Growth, Relationship, Spiritual, The Human Condition | 0

This ceremony is a part of monastic discipline, and a custom, established by the Buddha which supports skilful parting of the ways. When we spend time in each other’s company, even with the best of intentions, we can say or do things that cause difficulty or pain for others. The Buddha recognized this and established this simple exchange whereby, when such a parting is about to occur, the juniors begin by requesting the forgiveness of the elder for anything they might have done which has brought on hurt of any kind. The elder then responds by asking, in return, for forgiveness for any action that similarly might have caused pain.

———————-

Seems appropriate for all that has been going on in with my parents, my family, my friends and many of these are my elders.

You mean I have to continually request and offer my forgiveness over and over again even if I don’t think I’m at fault? It’s not about fault or blame or shame, its about extending loving kindness.

As I’ve embarked on some kind of spiritual journey of the heart there have been some of the same people in my life who have no problem letting me know when I make mistakes and point out how I sometimes make references to non-judgment, compassion, love and all these things that may lead people on to think I am some kind of enlightened being. Just so we clear this up… Far from that you are Maurice. Yup, I know. I am still human. I make mistakes. I appreciate being shown my ways by other people, where I went astray and where I can improve. Thank you.

 

 

 

31 May 2019

Oh Daddy….

by | posted in: Family, Love, Relationship, Spiritual | 0

I’m not really sure about this piece of writing and putting it on my blog. There are people in my family who think this is a private family matter and information should never leave the mouths of family members to the ears of anyone outside the family like this. I certainly do not agree with that and I am also unsure about how public I want my life to be on the internet. I think some of my family, like my cousin Steve and Debbie appreciates learning about this. I started a caring bridge website for my father and was told to take it down. Is this an issue of loyalty to the family? Is being proactive such a bad thing? By putting information out on the internet like this am I betraying some people in my family who think I should not be doing that?

Oh Daddy – Fleetwood Mac

If I could make you see

If there’s been a fool around

It’s got to be me

Yes, it’s got to me

Why are you right when I’m so wrong

I’m so weak but you’re so strong

Everything you do is just alright

And I can’t walk away from you

 

 

It’s been two months since I’ve returned from Asia and its been two years since I’ve seen my father in Colorado. My father just had outpatient surgery that left him in the hospital for two weeks following some complications and is now in a rehab facility to regain his strength with the intention of coming home. I decided that it was time for me to come to Colorado again. Not because my father was asking me to come to see him. Not because it is something that I want to do. But, because it was something I felt I needed to do. I sit here filled with a whole gamut of feelings and emotions in my father’s monster size home (5br-4bath~4000sqft) filled with all kinds of art and stuff for the senses…alone and by myself… just as my father chose to make this period of life for himself. Respectfully, honoring his choices while choosing to be silent, in disagreement about how some things are being handled.

This isn’t a matter of right and wrong. Got it?

jay01After 12 hours of travel and 2500 miles I make my way to the rehab facility where my father is staying. I peek into his room and he is eating dinner by himself. As I walk into his room, I stop in front of him and he looks at me… OMG he says… he had no idea I was coming… and we sit there looking into each other’s eyes with no words. No words needed to be said. He is in a wheelchair and needs a walker to help him balance when he walks. He is weak and has a hard time climbing out of bed on his own. I remind myself that I’m here to show my support for him and for my brother and the people that are helping to care for him. This is NOT an opportunity for me to push my way in to make sure things happen the way I want them to.

I went to visit my father on my second day. This time he was sleeping in his chair. I took off my shoes and climbed into his bed and waited for him to wake up. Eventually, his physical therapist walked in and woke him and was kind enough to give us 20min together before his appointment. I tried to engage with him by asking questions that needed a bit of an explanation and not yes/no. He continues to struggle to find his words to express his thoughts and then will eventually give up and move on to a completely different topic. Dementia is working hard on him and I can see the decline from two years ago when I last saw him.

jayasleepIt is terribly sad for me to see the life being drained out of my father. Seeing him first hand like firsthand while matching my experience up to the information I had received verbally because I do not live here in Colorado. I have been told my father is displaying a lack of interest in doing much of anything, no drive to continue to do art, doesn’t want to walk or do his home physical therapy, doesn’t want to be outside, sleeps excessively, watches MSNBC all the time, takes pride in not bathing, ungrateful, will not clean up after himself, nighttime incontinence, and displays a general disdain towards beliefs that are not in agreement with his. This is not the happy go lucky father I’ve known most of my life. And I know this is the disease taking over the mind of my father. Feeling everything while separating myself from my emotions in order to extend love and peace is the only practice for me right now.

My father has been insulated from my brother and I by a couple of his friends who are living with him and caring for him for the last couple of years. Cooking, cleaning, driving, shopping, coordinating appointments, etc… they really love my father and I am grateful for them and communicate that to them regularly. I appreciate these people so much for all that they are doing for him. There is a little bit of a problem though. My brother and I are not getting all the information about my father. We are not being told when he gets into car accidents, is so weak that he needs help to get up from the toilet, his incontinence, etc.  I completely understand that by not communicating to my brother and I they think they are preserving a level of freedom for my father. Which they are. Nobody wants their freedoms taken away because their body can no longer perform those functions. And I can understand why they are doing what they are doing. What I explained to them is that by not being transparent in communicating, they are making things more challenging for my brother and I. My hope is that they can understand some of this and we can try to do things a little bit differently.

I think my father is completely clueless to all of this due to his dementia. He seems to be ok where he is and how he is being cared for right now… and that’s a good thing. And I can see things may need to take a drastic change that he may not like one bit.

There is a bit of a holding pattern at the moment. Waiting to see how my father takes to his rehabilitation and if he can regain enough strength to return home. And should he return home, how to care for him the best. Right now, he seems to like all the attention at the rehab facility and his needs are getting catered to. His friends are going to Mexico for some respite and will think about how they might want to participate in my father’s care moving forward. He is needing more and more attention and lots of help with daily activities and they are getting burnt out.

living roomIn the meantime, I’m trying to figure out how I can best help out here. My father’s home is almost 30 years old and is showing signs of needing maintenance as all aging homes do. I’m going to try to help here as much as I can. Sometimes I get confused and emotional and cannot find the thread of thought in my mind or heart that shows me why I am here. I sometimes need gentle reminders to keep an open mind and heart. This is part of the law of nature, everything is impermanent… including our bodies returning to the earth. I know this can be peaceful and I am determined to make it that way for myself and everyone else that may be interested in doing so.

 

Breathing in…. Breathing out… (Time to clean out the hot-tub ????)

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