Judy Bratten

Another Appetite

They say the New Age has arrived, that our consciousness is being raised, that we are witnessing a new stage in our evolution. Though I don’t consider myself a pessimist, it’s hard for me to overlook the spiritual apathy, old-fashioned greed, and general selfishness that seems to pervade our civilization.

Another Appetite

If I were to join in communion with you, to commune with you, to communicate with you, I would do so over a cup of raspberry leaf-mint tea and a piece of Celebration Carob Cake (so called because it was the first cake I baked after the birth of my last child).

Another Appetite

For what truly feeds the mind and the body comes from a source too many people seem to have forgotten: and that is (pardon the archaic term) the soul.

Another Appetite

Come the autumn, when the earth is getting sleepy, it’s especially good to remember the time of energy and abundance. So I make cooking an offering, to God, to my family, and to the friends who allow me to share my love with them.

From The Honey Pot

When I think of ways to use food to feel good, they usually don’t fall into any category. It could be a chocolate malted with all its Proustian overtones. Or it may be a Wildflower salad that tastes as good as it is for me.

From The Honey Pot

Creating an atmosphere of love and beauty often offsets the apparent meagerness of a meal. Wildflowers are free — dandelions, clover, all those pretty little flowers popping out in vacant lots or around public buildings in spring and summer — and as a centerpiece they remind us of the richness of the earth.

The Important Difference

Self-righteous attempts at conventional religion; experiments with grass, acid, speed; chanting Hare Krishna down Fifth Avenue; endless wanderings around the earth — so began the search for enlightenment among my friends more than 10 years ago. It’s hard to see if anyone has become enlightened, and if they have, they haven’t become better human beings for it.

[Love seeks to encompass]