[Arts/Zen Cooking] Patience in the kitchen
After becoming a parent, my time spent cooking increased by however many folds my baby had by the age of 6 months. I was determined to do "baby-led-weaning," where the baby is the one to dictate what gets a taste and what doesn't. But this extra time spent cooking for a new family member was extra difficult--together with a complete change of rhythm of life and another change of country, came the increasingly persistent anger and impatience. Afterall, I was (and still am) really sleep deprived and my body was still recovering from child labour.
What brought me back to the rhythm (not the original rhythm by all means, but a kind of salsa groove) was a Shantideva pill for anger and a Shojin Ryori ointment for patience with a 7-day course of Tenzo Kyokun.
Handle it as if it were your own eyes.
See the carrot you are chopping; taste its colour;
Watch the pot; let the steam go;
Wash a dish; wash another;
Fill the cup; drip by drip.
More mouths but the same set of hands;
More mess but also more life
together with happiness.
Now, the toddler is eating what we eat at the table--if she wants to eat it, that is. Life is still a salsa. She likes this life with a side of avocado mash.
Gassho,
Shosho
satlah
What brought me back to the rhythm (not the original rhythm by all means, but a kind of salsa groove) was a Shantideva pill for anger and a Shojin Ryori ointment for patience with a 7-day course of Tenzo Kyokun.
Handle it as if it were your own eyes.
See the carrot you are chopping; taste its colour;
Watch the pot; let the steam go;
Wash a dish; wash another;
Fill the cup; drip by drip.
More mouths but the same set of hands;
More mess but also more life
together with happiness.
Now, the toddler is eating what we eat at the table--if she wants to eat it, that is. Life is still a salsa. She likes this life with a side of avocado mash.
Gassho,
Shosho
satlah