I personaly believe that food is medicine. Food is energy. Good food – good energy.
Lately , I even getting curious about the source of the ingredients and how they process before it comes to the table. I am not related to any diets , such as vegan or vegetarian . But in my daily life , easy to spot any vegan or vegetarian even raw food eater. The reasons are from health to saving the environtment and other philosopic reasons. Well , whatever it is – living in a global collective with people from all around the world with difference eating habbit and food culture – I found it interesting yet unique.
It’s amazing how we adapt with that situation. I mean , many restaurants even warung in Ubud with vegan , vegetarian , raw food speciality and I believe some places in other part of the island as well to adjust themselves to follow the flow. Ubud is filled by those people who are coming for a short and long term period to enjoy Bali from cultural and spiritual side. Cultures , landscapes ,arts , and spirituality are merging perfectly in Ubud . Home for those yoga practitioners , teachers , retreater.
Of course now they come here carrying their eating habbit and meet their tribe , no wonder these diets seem gettingmore andmore . Some people like to copy their idol or teacher – including their lifestyle. For me , the same as yoga – these diets more in to lifestyle than the essence or the reasons behind.
But this can be explained logicaly . Those who involve in spirituality , by practising yoga and meditations get their prespective changed about life , people and all beings. The more they understand, they got compassionate. Their compassions are develop. Their sense of feeling and emotions are rising. And they shifted their eating habbit witout needed to slaughter an animal to add protein on the plate. Plant based eating is the solution. Somehow , they found that plant based protein works well for your body needs too.
Siting together on the table with people from different culture kind of adding your knowledge about how rich is this planet. Their position on this earth determines their abundance of the food sources. The closer you are to equator , the more variety of food that is provided for you. This determine your eating habbit. Different if you live in the countries with 4 seasons – your body needs are different, the abundance is not anymore on the plants that is why you need to adjust your eating habbit.
Again – food is as a life force because you get the energy and also as a medicine. If you aware of how your body works and needs, you can cure or prevent some illness. The body reacts on anything that you put into it. And I’ve been watching some documentary movies and would still doing it how the food can either destroy or keep our body healthy. I know someone who is a raw food eater cured from type 2 diabetes. She is been doing this with strong motivation and self determination for long years. The belief that she put on food as medicine worked well. And the other one is vegan and doing this because she sees all beings are the same as human. Deserve the happy free life to live. They have emotions as human. And they make family as human. Also the way they treat animal before they slaughter them such scary and terrible. Cruelty in food industry.
Now – Bali. We need to be grateful for our land. We have lots of food abundance. Fruits , veggies , rice , coconuts , spices and herbs , coffee , cacao, fish , etc . No wonder that Bali is a paradise. As tourism is our main industry, we kind of adjust ourselves to get along with the reality. We need to follow the flow in order to exist. We can’t anymore just serve Nasi Campur or Ayam Betutu or Babi Guling in order to compete in food business if the tourist is your market.
It requires us to open our eyes and ears to listen to what they need. How we can serve them. Ho we can satisfy their taste buds. How we can develop our skill and talent out of traditionality and customs.
In Ubud , there are some places you can eat vegan , vegetarian , or raw food. I guess they are many. From local warung to expat owned restaurant. If you want to eat with reasonable price you may go to local warung. If you want to experience nice eating environtment , good vibes , organic ingredients , bit fancy – choose the restaurant, which you may find a plate of Nasi Campur cost you above Rp50.000.
Whatever related to healthy eating , clean food , well presentations are easily attract me. One of our favorite activity – me and my partner – is to hunt a place to eat good , clean and tasty. We would spend some times to just stare at the food that served on our table before we really enjoying it . I remember that time when we walked to find a place to eat , we arrived to a warung that serves healthy food and drinks on Jalan Sugriwa , Ubud called Dayu’s Warung. Obviously its owned by Dayu. Such a cozy place. Besides Nasi Campur and Nasi Goreng , they serves as well kind of western styled food such as taco , burger etc. The foods are uniquely prepared – take an example : the burger. The burger bun they make from sweet potato intead of bread. And the drink they served not just a drink. There are ingredients that contain lots of health benefits such as beetroot , coconut water , spinach , moringa , turmeric and many more that they mix and blend for their juices and elixirs. I am getting curious about this warung and the owner. What is the idea behind this ? . List of those foods and drinks you can’t easily find in other local warung.
Based on her pofile , I know that she is also a personal chef with many working experiences as a chef in preparing natural foods in many retreat places and has succesfuly completed various trainings such as Raw Nutritions and Internal Cleansing , Dehydrated Food Preparation , Raw Chocolate Preparation , Detoxifying and Pastry Making with western profesional teachers and nutritionist – before she open the warung . She found that conscious food choices are extremely important and knowing how to use the food to nourish mind , body and soul.
On my lucky day to meet her for cooking class , she shared a little bit more about her journey in career and business. Besides warm and humble personality she is just so down to earth figure of a Balinese woman. Soon she is going to Europe for another business trip as a chef to serve those yoga retreater with various of healthy foods and detoxify healthy drinks.
Look ! We are full of potential , skill and talents. Only we need to believe in ourselves and put more confidence to survive in this globalization era. And willing to learn and open up to the world. [T]