On Appreciation

Appreciation is the single most important, yet sometimes sadly underrated and forgotten, part of the meal.  Every meal is a celebration, and is the result of hard work.  Even if it's a frozen dinner, some farmer worked his ass off to grow its bill of materials, and a team of chefs spent countless hours of R&D finishing it.  While it's normal to appreciate the household matriarch for slaving over Thanksgiving dinner more than the frozen box guys, as there are different levels of appreciation, it's still important to always have some.

The greatest level of appreciation for food, which is one most of us will truly never empathize, is at the survival level.  A few weeks ago at the dentist, I spoke with my Iranian doctor on the subject.  Growing up, he would wait hours in line for the week's ration of milk--a quart for a family of four.  American homeless people with cardboard signs on the road do better than that.  As a result of his impoverished upbringing, my dentist has, and will always have, a great appreciation for food.  He wastes nothing, always packs up everything he doesn't finish at a restaurant, and knows that every meal is a celebration.

Next, there is the appreciation level of luxury, which is relative.  A little over a year ago, I was working in Salt Lake City and would visit the same cafe for breakfast with my coworkers regularly.  At this cafe, for the first time in my life, I put butter on my toast.  I will always remember this as the best, most decadent toast of my life.  Most people will find this silly, as butter is an omnipresent staple in the kitchen.  For me, butter was not allowed for most of my life due to lifestyle choices and dietary restrictions.  On a relative scale, butter is an item of luxury, and I appreciate it like all lipids.

Finally, there is the appreciation for the art.  Cooking and crafting food is an art.  The skill to cook should never be taken for granted.  BBQ pit masters dedicate their lives to a single sauce, cooking technique, and often animal.  Pastry chefs master microorganisms, leavening agents, ovens, and flavors all with a great eye for presentation.  Sushi chefs can spend 6 years perfecting their rice, before they're ever allowed to touch a fish.  Charcuterie experts can transform the nastiest bits into the most divine, decadent mouthfuls.  The food industry is full of the most passionate people.  They don't work for much; they provide for us via labor of love.  

Forgetting to appreciate the plate in front of us is how we fall to the realm of gluttony.  Losing appreciation turns our passion to addiction, our senses numb, and we lose one of life's greatest pleasures.  Appreciation is the most important part of the meal.