Everything I Eat Nourishes Me, A Cookbook for Body & Soul ©2010
In Everything I Eat Nourishes Me, A Cookbook for Body & Soul, Aline Fourier has gathered a multicultural collection of recipes and rich stories about dishes we love to create. Eating becomes a journey of nourishment, as we learn about our connections to the foods we eat – our feelings, thoughts, and memories. We are the alchemists of our bodies in this colorfully creative and empowering approach to cooking and eating.
Recipes run the gamut from the sweetness of a sugar cookie made by a great-grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, to the ancient secrets of an Armenian specialty called “yalanchi” (stuffed grape leaves). A Cuban chef, who paddled over on a tire, shares vivid recollections of his native cuisine.
Interwoven with original artwork, photography and intimate narratives, Fourier creates a gastronomic experience that engages us in contemplating our personal relationship with food and nourishment.
The cookbook’s underlying premise, that thoughts, feelings and personal memories associated with the dishes we create and eat are ingested with the food itself, expands the definition of “nourishment” from nutrition to sustenance. This encourages us to depart from what is trendy and politically correct advice about food, and allows curiosity, joy, pleasurable memories and loving thoughts to guide our food choices. Everything I Eat Nourishes Me combines all of the above into an artistic whole that recalls the culinary customs of our ancestors worldwide, empowers readers to take charge of their nourishment, and offers a balanced approach to a future of good health.
Book Cover, Everything I Eat Nourishes Me
I was very honoured to be asked to submit a recipe for this most delicious book.
It took me a while to think about a recipe and when I did I found myself not wanting to delve into why it was so hard to write the story.
Finally after putting it off for way to long, I dove in. It was amazing……. traveling back in time and onto the boat that my Father built and the very special moments we had together sailing and fishing for mackerel It took me to a stillness that I had not realized had been there, spending time with my Father on the boat, feeling safe because he was there, and when it was just the two of us, no words were needed…. I can feel the emotion now……as I feel the tears…. of gratitude for him and that silence except for the wind and waves, will be with me all ways.
So I am very grateful for Aline and her asking me to participate…. this is a a very special book, and with all the recipes that I want to make from the book, I know that a part of me will also be woven into the lives of the others who gave of their favourite nourishment.
Here’s to living with the joy of food and deep gratitude from whence it came.
Yes, our stories and memories have much power and remembering their connection to the foods in our lives provides keys to ways to nourish our relationship with food. I also remember those early morning 4 am adventures on the water, the sounds and smells of the ocean, the rocking of the boat, the silent communion with my dad and then…about 7 or 8 am the hunger that made us dip into those wonderful egg sandwiches…they tasted so much better out there in nature…in relationship…in silence…I can still taste them now and so when I make one of those sandwiches today, I feel like I am taking in all those feelings of love and communion, of silence and serenity, of relationship. And that is surely nourishing me. Thank you Lisanne for sharing your intimate memory.