Sounds silly, but hear me out. My favorite word of late is Kansha, a Japanese phrase that to me means something along the lines of "no waste cooking and eating".
As described by Kansha author Elizabeth Andoh in her gorgeous book (which we sell at Bi-Rite, might I add!): "The celebration of Japan’s vegan and vegetarian traditions begins with kansha—appreciation—an expression of gratitude for nature’s gifts and the efforts and ingenuity of those who transform nature’s bounty into marvelous food. The spirit of kansha, deeply rooted in Buddhist philosophy and practice, encourages all cooks to prepare nutritionally sound and aesthetically satisfying meals that avoid waste, conserve energy, and preserve our natural resources."
So if I were to brag about how I observe Kansha, it could go something like this:
-I was born with a love for leftovers (part of my broader preference for cold, soft foods). Or maybe it comes from good training by mom and dad (and granny and gramps). I've been able to leave no leftover uneaten by bringing last night's dinner in for breakfast, and will pretty much go as far as breaking dinner plans if it means leftovers going bad in my fridge. If you're heading to the airport, do what I do and make a leftover feast to clean out your fridge and bring on the trip--way better than dropping dough on bad aiport food.
-I eat the skin of veggies and fruit whenever possible: carrots, squash, kiwis...vitamins, texture, need I say more?
-After shelling favas for a crostini app I made recently, I saved all the pods and used them for a great nutty fava stock that's played a nice role in some recipes since.
-I wear my big neon green Kansha t-shirt to bed more often lately than i maybe should
You get the idea.
So what Kansha can you brag about?
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