Our foods, our cuisines, are an expression of culture… or perhaps it’s the opposite. Whatever the case, it seems to me that food and drink are quite possibly the most intimate forms of communion with our external environment, and likely to be an important ingredient in our evolutionary process. Let’s take a look at the definitions of the words cuisine, culture, and heritage:
Cuisine, “a style or method of cooking, especially as characteristic of a particular … region.” I like the verb definition of culture, “maintain in conditions suitable for growth,” because if we aren’t maintaining our society in conditions suitable for growth, then we have a problem. And heritage being “an inheritance” is particularly relevant to what’s passed down to us through our DNA, if nothing else.
As scientists explore the possibility that information is the fundamental building block of our universe, it occurs to me that what eat and drink may be our body’s best source of information about our environment… or at least it was. In the modern world we’ve scrambled that information with modern food processing and consumption of foods transported from all around the globe, in any season. And so, we may wish to consider the composition of our ancestral diets and lifestyles when planning our meals, choosing dietary and lifestyle practices that nourish our body, mind, and spirit, and support the life we wish to live.
I wish to honour my indigenous heritage with this blog and business, I think it’s important. Not just symbolically, but practically; I carry the genetic information passed down through generations of indigenous ancestors. And as we live on this land, I think it’s important to live in right relationship with it, and the health of that relationship is reflected in our diet and lifestyle. As such, the logo for Wholistic Kitchen was designed with the Cree teachings of the Four Directions in mind.
Of the Four Directions’ teachings, seasonality is of particular importance when it comes to food and lifestyle. We cannot eat and live the same from season to season and expect to remain in balance, we are not machines. We must observe and learn from nature’s wisdom. I go into greater detail about this and other perspectives on human health and wellness over at wholehuman.me.
So why didn’t I name this blog Indigenous Kitchen? While I find much inspiration in the Cree teachings, I’m not just Cree, as Metis I’m also French, and I’m Icelandic/Norwegian too. And I was raised by Scottish/Ukrainian parents in Southern Alberta on the lands of the Blackfoot Confederation. And so, with Wholistic Kitchen I wish to honour all of these, and really all of our heritages as a means to restore balance and experience wholeness in our modern lives.
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