Eating a Life Explored This Spring

The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste the experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for a newer and richer experience.

Eleanor Roosevelt

It’s no secret that quarantine hasn’t been the most thrilling of experiences. I don’t think Eleanor would have been happy with our past year of self-quarantining. I certainly wasn’t.

Along the way, there were sure some ups and downs. Sooner or later every event became overshadowed by the mundanity of isolation. Shock, horror, surprise, etc are difficult emotions to maintain inside the same four walls every. single. day.

For a lot of us, myself included, self-isolation has amounted to a plethora of bread baking experiments, cocktail concoctions, various online classes, and Netflix binges. On many days, I had to give myself an agenda. I needed to keep focus and gain some sense of actual accomplishment of the “real kind” at the end of the day.

Now, Spring is upon us. It’s a new day and a new season. Vaccinations are rolling out and restaurants are reopening. Flowers are blooming and the weather is warming. It’s time for new perspective and new goals.

This Spring, I’m making excitement the new emotion to prioritize. I want to commit to seeking out new and engaging experiences. It’s time to rekindle the kind of Eat. Pray. Love. wonder that has evaded us since last year. 

Come with me on my quest for adventure. Discover how to fire up your taste buds through eating a life explored in an inspired Eat. Drink. Work. Play. world. 

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Ways to Eat a Life Explored

1. Cooking Class 

Although it sounds like an opportunity of pre-pandemic times past, cooking classes are just one of the many experiences that have gone virtual in our new Zoom-based world. No matter what it is you’re in the mood for, you have the ability to make it! Whether you’re craving cake or homemade pasta, there’s a teacher with a webcam somewhere ready to make your food fantasies a reality. 

Look no further for the most delicious courses you’ll ever take: 

• The Chef and the Dish 
• America’s Test Kitchen
• Cakeflix
• Traeger Grill (and you don’t have to have a Traeger in order to participate or cook)

2. Try New Foods 

This month, give a dish a chance that you have either previously written off as too risky or have even never heard of before. Many among us self-identify as “picky eaters.” The reality is that there are far too many flavor and texture combinations to ever be able to confidently (or truthfully) discount them all. 

With so many restaurants still fighting to stay open after the pandemic closures, support small businesses by trying out a new restaurant for take-out or dine-in. There’s some great BBQ, Vietnamese, and even vegetarian restaurants out there with dishes you’ve likely always wondered about but have never tried. Let’s do it this Spring!

If going out still has you a bit wary, then let’s give one of these special recipes a go and discover what exciting corners of the globe your palette takes you. Here’s some that I’ve always wanted to try, and they just might pop-up as a Sunday Dinner feature here.

• Vietnamese: Learn from Vicki Pham
• Vegan Recipes: Olives for Dinner
• Italian: Lidia’s Italy
  • Spaghetti Carbonara 

3. Grow Your Own Foods

One of the most exciting things you can do with food is explore the process of harvesting it yourself. The farm-to-table trend is only popular because what it offers is distinct and indisputable: food just tastes better fresh.

Our bodies want to consume wholesome and natural ingredients; we aren’t actually built to digest the chemicals and preservatives that plague so many menus and grocery aisles today. If you’re looking for reasons to avoid crowded grocery stores and deepen your relationship with the food you consume, there’s no simpler (or more cost efficient) method than growing your own. 

Start your garden off right with these produce picks: 

• Tomatoes
• Herbs
• Berries

Eating is necessary for our health and wellbeing in more ways than the immediately obvious. When we share meals with friends and family, it becomes a vehicle for socialization and bonding which are vital components of any happy and balanced life. 

Food connects us to memories big and small. It is something you put in your body everyday, so it’s quite literally a part of you. Living life explored means investigating all aspects of how we navigate our world, questioning the standards we hold for ourselves and others in all things. 

This month, ask yourself if you would prefer to have a relationship with what you eat beyond how it fills you up. Seek out moments to cultivate a deeper connection with food that really serve you and the life you envision for yourself. From taking a risk on new tastes and becoming your own farmers market, there are so many ways to make March the ultimate month of eating. 

How will you choose to spend it? However it is, enjoy eating a “life explored” this Spring!