Embracing the Joy of Food: A Refreshing Take on Guilty Pleasures

So, here we are, at the end of the second week of the new year. The last remnants of holiday cheer have been carefully stowed away for yet another eight months, and those delectable cheese boards have been devoured with a complete lack of remorse. Ah, but alas, as if on cue, the world has decided to bombard us with endless cries for healthier lifestyles. It's all about avoiding this, aiming for that, limiting whatever, sleeping and exercising more, hydrating ourselves to the brim, and somehow managing stress (as if it's a piece of cake). Just a mere month ago, we were encouraged to indulge in every blissful delight available, and now we find ourselves being ruthlessly guilt-tripped in the opposite direction.

These conflicting messages can truly scramble one's mental faculties, leaving us with a complicated relationship with food, our bodies, and the choices we make. Suddenly, those delightful treats that were applauded just a month ago, like in my case heavenly macrons, are tossed aside as "guilty pleasures" until the next holiday season graces us with its presence.

Thankfully, the magnificent Nigella Lawson, the reigning queen of the culinary world, has a thing or two to say about this matter in her glorious book, Cook, Eat, Repeat which I was given as a Christmas present. And let me tell you, her words may revolve around food, but they are the only messages worth embracing this year.

Nigella's take on guilty pleasures is a breath of fresh air in this suffocating atmosphere. In her book, she fearlessly states, "if there's one phrase I'd choose to banish, without a shred of doubt, it would be that overused, irritating-to-the-core, and far-from-innocent term known as the Guilty Pleasure."

She goes on to explain, "my answer to all that is invariably the same, and while I may worry that repeating it too often might render it trite, I genuinely believe it. And here it is: no one should feel guilty about what they eat or the pleasure they derive from eating; the only thing one should even consider feeling guilty about (though I don't recommend it) is the failure to express gratitude for the pleasure itself."

Bravo, Queen Nigella.

She concludes her sage wisdom by emphasising the significance of gratitude: "I am keenly aware that the joy I find in food is a privilege. And for me, it's of utmost importance not to diminish or forget that fact. Delighting in the food we consume is an act of gratitude."

And she astutely adds, "The world isn't always abundant in moments of pure joy. I understand that I may sound soupy when I say that I view every mealtime, every mouthful, as a celebration of life, but (with regrettable exceptions) I genuinely do, or at least I strive to. Otherwise, it's all just such a pointless waste."

Yes to that, Queen Nigella.

This is the perfect antidote to the incessant bombardment of guilt-inducing messages we endure at this time of year. Food is not the enemy. It's not something to feel guilty about. It's something to relish and revel in. Especially during these dreary winter days, don't we all deserve those moments of celebration?