Tag Archives: enthusiasm

enthusiasm…

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I gave a friend a sourdough lesson the other day. I think it went quite well. Actually I think it went really well.

Not because of my untold clear teaching techniques, (nope, not at all) but because she had enthusiasm, and later that night when her first made loaf came out of the oven, that enthusiasm was still there. Bundles of it.

It was impossible not to get caught up in her enthusiasm. Enthusiasm, for wanting to completely change around her families eating habits. Wanting to make things from scratch, away with packets, and also embracing the sourdough. Jumping all in as she had only made three loaves of bread before and then deciding that she wanted to give sourdough a crack.

It’s so wonderful to find like minded people who think along a similar way regarding food, you can stop being the odd one out for a while and that’s… lovely.

I think I had subconsciously started to tone things down a bit, even here on the blog. Did people really want to hear over and over that if you make something from scratch it tastes better. That it makes so much more sense to eat seasonally. To know where your food comes from, to get to know what was going in to your kids bodies and how to cook that food. Not Michelin starred restaurant style food but good honest, eat it everyday kind of cooking. When someone is so enthusiastic about wanting to learn, and wanting to pass that knowledge on to their own children, it’s inspiring.

Really inspiring.

It reminded me that it is really important, this food journey that a lot of people are beginning to take on and the more people that shout it from the roof tops, (not in a jam it down your throat kind of way), but in a hey, I made this, and that makes me so freakin’ happy I can’t tell you... well I think it’s worth it.

Food should be so much more than something that gets squashed together in a factory, popped in some plastic and a box, and then to be selected from a supermarket shelf. I understand convenience, and I understand lack of time, but good food shouldn’t have to mean hours and hours in a kitchen. Good food can be as simple as good core ingredients. Great core ingredients even. Back yard tomatoes, a little local goat cheese, a drizzle of awesome olive oil, a grind of black pepper and a chunk of crusty bread.

Simple. Tasty. Healthy.

The more people start to question where their food is coming from, finding out what it is exactly on their plates, and getting excited about cooking, the more things will change for the better.

If someone does this with bubbling enthusiasm, a skip in their step and love in their heart…well I think I want to be a part of that.

should you curb your passion?

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P A S S I O N

1/ any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.

2/ a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything: a passion for the environment.

3/ an outburst of strong emotion or feeling: He suddenly broke into a passion of bitter words.

antonym- Apathy

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This topic has been springing up in my mind quite frequently lately …. Should you curb your passion?

Australians are re-known for “She’ll be right mate, no worries” sort of attitude. Most of the time I love this way of thinking. Not really hyper, not overly angsty and not running about like your heads fallen off. Conversations are held in quiet non committed manners in which the part takers leave feeling contented, feelings intact and not a raised voice to be heard (now I am over generalising here, I know….)

If someone starts speaking up about a particular topic in a manner that is strong and adamant, Australians get a little uncomfortable. Whats her problem?… He’s a bit of a nutter. People take a quiet step backwards, and retreat to a safe distance.

A lot of people, (me included at times), like to make a statement and end it with a question. Or just use some intonation that makes them sound like they are questioning something, even if its their own statement they have just said. This leaves the possibility of other options open. Not standing by the statement they have just said, as nervous that they might offend someone. We come across as a very obliging and friendly country because of this.

As a consequence going to a country like Italy, or any other Mediterranean country and it may seem like everyone is yelling at each other. Two people discussing yesterdays football scores, but to an outsider not speaking the language, it looks like a domestic dispute of biblical proportions. Arms waving, voices clamouring to be heard, only to end with a kiss on either cheek and a cheery wave goodbye.

Here, we do things differently though. Passion seems to quite often have had a lid put on it. I don’t want the only time you see an Australian really passionate about something is when they are talking about rugby or cricket and alcohol.

So with that in mind, it got me thinking. When you feel really strongly about something both positively and negatively do you comfortably voice that opinion/ feelings? I am very passionate in my feelings towards food, useless cheap plastic toys, pregnancy/birth, environmental issues and many more. Its hard sometimes biting my tongue, (until there are teeth indentations in there) and letting statements slide as the other party either has opposing opinions, not expecting a counter attack (as that’s how it may come across), or have no concept of my way of thinking.

How often do you let it slide before you are not only cheating yourself but almost doing the other person a dis-service by not voicing your opinion and letting your thoughts known.

I like to think I can respect other people’s feelings, try to reflect and see things from other people’s views and I certainly don’t want to offend people by me putting my thoughts and opinions out there. However I find so many people like to keep conversation ‘fluffy’, not wanting to explore thoughts any further and not challenge at all. Habits are kept that are easy to keep up. Support things that the majority do. ie. rugby, complaining about rain, and conversations are kept at an ‘acceptable’ level.

I know there is a time and a place for everything. Buying milk at the corner store, with kids in tow, is probably not the time to be explaining to the shop keeper of my thoughts on plastic bags, I know that. However when I see someone really talking about what they feel passionate about, I can’t help but feel enthused by it. I might not agree, but I really do love the fact that they feel so passionate about the subject. Bring it back to food again and I’m in heaven.

There are a whole string of people both in real life and media that have inspired me over the years through nothing but contagious enthusiasm for something they have felt passionate about.

Being a blogger I am exposed to many wonderful blogs that show so many enthusiastic souls out there doing what comes across as things they love, and telling the world about it. My dad was passionate in hating one of our past prime ministers, I wasn’t put off by his raised voice and throbbing veins in his neck at the mere mention of his name- rather entertained that someone could feel so much for someone he had never met.

In recent years celebrity chefs have taken over the world. Jamie Oliver is pretty much a household name. Why do people like him? Because he’s passionate. That true love of his shows. A good example of this is his recent committment to his Food Revolution, surely he wouldn’t do it unless he was nothing less than 100% passionate about what he was doing?

“Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion” – Christian Friedrich Hebbel

So should you curb your passion?…I don’t think so. Maybe contain it a little sometimes when needed, try not to let ego involved, but otherwise let it run free. Find out what’s important to you and have an opinion.

Apathy doesn’t change things, doesn’t get people involved, and it certainly doesn’t inspire.

Passion does.

So bring on that passion, and let me hear it.

What do you feel passionate about?