By Anuradha Kapoor
When my taste buds
turn downright nasty,
and everything I eat,
tastes like karela,
I douse my food with
sips of warm water.
I have to eat well,
I have to make my immunity strong,
is the monotone
ringing in my head.
I have always been a healthy eater,
very careful of my food choices.
Now all I want to eat
is pasta and pizza.
Spicy Chinese with lots of noodles.
Chocolate cake soaked
in a gooey sauce.
A tub of choco mint ice cream.
Bhel puri and pav bhaji
beckon me in my dreams.
Isn't it amazing that
we have the ability
to taste a million flavours,
yet we never give it a second thought?
We take it so much for granted,
hurriedly gulping food in our office,
watching TV and not eating mindfully,
not relishing nor savouring it.
But now I know the
importance of food—
the taste, the texture,
the appearance, the flavour.
Now I know when
delicious food tastes awful,
the acrid, bitter taste
that burns my mouth.
Food is ambrosia which
nourishes our body and mind.
Never relegated to the sidelines,
for our body and our well-being
solely depend on the food we eat.
Eat well.
Eat healthy.
Eat with respect.
Eat with gratitude.
Eat with love.