TianZi Biodiversity Research & Development Centre
The
concept of health food
of
Ivan Schiffer
1. WHAT'S COOKING?
Cooking is the key to a healthy body and mind, and hence to freedom
of trans-mutation of yin and yang. If man's food is not properly cooked, he
will have difficulty digesting and assimilating it. This leads to difficulties
in maintaining homeostatic internal conditions and a calm mentality in the
face of the stresses of life. In other words, cooking is not merely a technique
for making delicious cuisine; it is a sacred ceremony where nature and human
action meet. The kitchen is the studio where life is created every day. Cooking
must be performed with an artist's sense of color and form, a scientist's
precision, an alchemist's knowledge of transmutation and a philosopher's under-standing
of life.
This way of cooking is the right way. It is a
life-long study, which one should never forget, even for a day. It is the
source of a strong body and high judgment, without which, man will never be
free.
It is a simple way of cooking. It is the application
of the simple concept "Everything changes'. Yin changes to yang, yang
changes to yin. This is the Order of Nature.
Careful cooking enables man to establish this order within him.
Ivan Schiffer is a Lipid - Biologist. He is the head of the
TianZi Natural Food Division responsible for the production of the finest
Bio / Organic Cold Pressed Oils used in seasoning, skin care,
and which find their way to people with special needs particularly in treatment
and regenaration of the Central Nervous System (Kousmine
Method). These oils are now being exported from Thailand in special cooled
individual package to anywhere in the world. In the picture he explains the
processing of his oils at the TianZi Tea Garden in Chiang Mai.
2. FOOD
There are thousands of kinds of food on the earth,
but it is not within this Order that all are food for man. Therefore, the
first step in cooking is the selection of foods.
We can make a simple division, animal food and
vegetal food. We choose mainly vegetal food. Life is a spiral transmutation
starting from oneness and terminating in the animal world. The next stage
is decomposition. If we eat mainly animal food, our bodies will tend toward
decomposition. Vegetal foods are at an immature stage in the evolutionary
development of life. Vegetal life is virgin life. It can rejuvenate health
in our bodies.
There is also an order of selection within vegetal
foods. Grains are the most abundant on earth so they should be out first choice.
Our tooth structure tells us that we are grain eaters; we have mostly grinding
teeth. Next we choose vegetables from field, mountain and ocean.
There are three principles which help us select
further. First, the ecology of life; one should follow the order of space
and time, choosing foods which are grown in one's own environment or one similar
and food which are in season. Second, the economy of life; vegetal foods are
living, so use them whole to get total nutrition. A knowledgeable cook will
use whole grains, not refined, and she will use leaves and roots of vegetables
instead of throwing them away. She does not peel vegetables and she uses fish
heads for soup stock. One who wastes is not a good cook. Lastly, balance,
the order of yin and yang; do not choose foods, which are extreme yin or yang.
Serve a yang food with a yin relish; yangize a yin food with salt.
Generally, in order of importance, man's food is grains,
vegetables, salt, oil, oil seeds, nuts, fruits and fish.
3. PREPARATION
Vegetables should be washed gently in cold water so
as not to damage their skins or crush the leaves. Dirt can be brushed away
with a natural bristle brush and stubborn spots removed with the tip of a
knife.
The way of cutting depends on the recipe. For stew or Nishime,
which takes longer to cook, they should be cut in fairly large pieces. For
Miso soup or for sauteing, they can be cut fine. If in a hurry, cut them fine,
they cook much quicker.
Artful shaping of the vegetables makes the dishes
more attractive and appetizing. There are many different ways of cutting.
Insensitive cutting spoils the delicacy and appeal of a dish.
The cutting board and knife should be cleaned after
cutting each vegetable so that each may keep its own distinct qualities. This
way the yin-to-yang order can be maintained.
4. COOKING
Never use synthetic flavorings such as sugar or monosodium
glutamate. Natural foods have distinct flavors, which are not enhanced by
strong chemicals. Instead, season with unrefined sea salt or naturally fermented
and aged soy sauce. It is a poor cook who needs spices to make food taste
good.
Each food has a distinct taste, which must be fully
developed, yet which must be sensitively combined with others to make a complementary
dish. Beethoven created his symphonies from seven sounds. Cezanne composed
his beautiful picture using seven colors. Seven is the number of dynamic harmony
and change. It is incomplete. Eight is the number of completion and so belongs
to the Gods as only they can achieve perfection. So, to create harmony in
our cooking we use seven cooking methods, seven foods, tastes, shapes and
colors.
While cooking, orderliness must be observed. Clothes
must be clean and neat. Dishes and pans should be handled without rattling
and banging. Keep the kitchen tidy so that all foods and utensils can be found
without searching. Clean all utensils as soon as they are used, so they are
ready to use again.
One's character is reflected in oneÕs cooking. For example,
a careless person makes a poor cook. A kind and thoughtful person will make
satisfying wholesome meals. Kindness, generosity and love are fundamental
ingredients in cooking.
5. SERVING
It is important that foods are served neatly and in moderation.
Also they must be well balanced. Grains should be about 50% of the meal though
people who are new to this way of eating will probably wish to eat more side
dishes for a while.
You must use your own artistry to arrange combinations of
foods, their shapes, colors and tastes. Here are some taste combinations to
try: yin grated reddish with yang Mochi, Tempura or Sashimi; yang salmon head
or lotus root with yin soybeans or Hijiki. Learn the yin and yang qualities
of foods and increase your judgment in balancing them.
6. GENERAL SUGGESTIONS
Love and care are the keys to successful cooking. These make
all the difference in taste and appearance. With them, your cooking will be
creative, unique and wholesome.
Make the dinner table a place of joyful ritual for
the family. Chewing well and eating moderately are good manners at any dinner
table. Good manners show gratitude for the long hours of love and care represented
by the food. When one has gratitude one can be truly happy. In such a family
there will be no room for sickness or sorrow.
One last suggestion; hunger is the best seasoning for any
dish. Hunger is a sign of good appetite. One day, the Zen monk Takuan invited
a lord to his temple for dinner. The lord waited expecting that Takuan was
preparing a delicious, elaborate meal. Hours later, Takuan served plain brown
rice and radish pickles. After the long hours of waiting, it was the most
delicious meal the lord had ever had.
7. SUMMARY
1. Grains are the main food. Eat about 50% brown
rice, buckwheat, wheat, millet, rye, barley and corn.
2. Secondary foods should be 30% seasonal vegetables,
6% seaweed and beans and 14% seeds, fish and fowl.
3. For seasoning use unrefined sea salt because
essential minerals have not been removed; unrefined, raw, cold pressed oils,
and naturally fermented soy sauce and Miso.
4. Never use chemical seasonings or additives
or chemically produced foods. This includes refined or concentrate sugars.
5. Use whole foods. It is wasteful to use a refined
product because part of it has been thrown away.
6. Avoid products, which come from different climates
and latitudes.
7. Chew well and drink little.
8. Serve a little Gomasio, Shio-Kombu, Kinpira or Tekka
at every meal.
9. Eat Daikon pickle or Miso pickle at the end of the
meal. Zen monks used to clean their bowls out with them.
10. Make your own picklesÕ so you can have a variety in the
dishes you serve. They come in handy, too, when you have unexpected guests.