FOOD AND SENSUALITY

Glorious sensuality. That perfect counterpart to cuisine, which turns each bite into an opportunity for satiety, and each meal preparation into a lovemaking session. Certainly, there are some who treat food as mere nourishment – one’s fuel for the day – and though I see such an approach as misguided, it would be unfair to chastise those individuals. I will admit to attempts at converting some, however, in which I have asked them to step into my world, where the quest for sensual enjoyment in cooking and eating is paramount – and where each of those provides nourishment for the mind and soul, as well as the body.

But what of the “food porn” addicts? There are armchair chefs who rarely cook, but who continuously watch cooking shows; or those who live to dine at the latest, greatest restaurant simply because it has become de rigueur. These well-meaning souls, while still exploring the pleasures of the palate to some degree, are unfortunately missing out on the true glory of the bounty at their fingertips. The shallow pleasures they seek do not last long, and no matter what the level of consumption, cannot provide the sweet moment of satiation to be found in deeper sensual engagement.

To be clear, there is nothing inherently wrong with pleasure for pleasure’s sake (as anyone will tell you after a “quickie” before heading to work), but there is so much more joy to be had with a comparatively small amount of effort if one brings one’s mind to the table (or into the kitchen) with one.

You see, I have found that my own journey of sensory development has heightened the entirety of my life experience, and this path toward satiety has introduced me to a world that was quite unexpected at the start. Knowing this, I now have a fervent desire for every man and woman to arrive here, right alongside me – not only to embrace food on a deeper sensual level, but also to savor each heartbeat we have left. If you have already come to this Garden of Eden on your own, I salute you, and though I am preaching to the converted, I hope you will join me in this salutation to sucking the marrow from life’s sweet bones.

For those not yet on that road, I will let you in on a little secret: in awakening your senses, you will find that it is not only food which takes on new meaning and inspiration in your life. Suddenly, treasures are to be found around every corner, whether in the hue of a perfect orchid, the sound of sweet violins, or a woman’s delicate, dewy complexion; this is not the stuff of fairy tales and poetry, but what is possible right here and now. If that does not convince you, perhaps you will be intrigued to know there are depths of sexual pleasure to be discovered that will make any truffle or oyster pale in comparison. Oh yes. No two acts are as similar in their effect on the senses as eating and making love, and by understanding the roots of each you will amplify the sensations of both. Let us take a look at the groundwork, shall we?

The complementary pairing of food and sensuality is proper to humans as rational animals, for the deep enjoyment of both goes beyond the immediate visceral gratification of feeling good, as might be experienced by a toddler or a dog, and enables us to make a higher connection with the world around us. That is not meant in a mystical way, but in one that is much more tangible and discernible on earth.

Such a connection is not automatic, however – it requires thought and introspection to arrive at a place of knowledge within so we can gain pleasure from the world outside. Every experience we have in life is conditioned by our state of mind at that moment, so what we “bring to the table” is more than just a catch-phrase; we can move from whim to whim, looking for the next thrill, or we can savor what is right here before us, and reflect on the pleasure we receive. That reflection may happen in a barely discernible instant, but it deepens the pleasure when one knows why one is pleased and can articulate it.

As psychologist Nathaniel Branden states: "The emotional quality of any pleasure depends on the mental processes that give rise to and attend it, and on the nature of the values involved. For the rational, psychologically healthy man, the desire for pleasure is the desire to celebrate his control over reality".

For centuries, from Epicurus to M. F. K. Fisher, philosophers and writers have extolled the virtues of sensual food pursuits, and their words remind us that such an approach indeed applies not only to the culinary realm, but also to existence itself. If one trains the mind and senses to appreciate the value of aesthetics, it is almost impossible to refrain from seeing the rest of the world with the same passion as one does the plate. Such gratification fulfills an inner need we develop during our first days on earth, and for this type of pleasure there is no substitute. Like the sexual act, it cannot be faked with any satisfactory results because to be truly enjoyed, it requires us to have a deep level of self-knowledge and understanding. Only then can we free our spirits to savor the pleasure we gain from looking outward.

When we are in a heightened sensual state, nothing in our life experience can surpass it. We are able to completely lose ourselves in an ethereal moment of bliss as our senses are overcome with anticipation, then heightened arousal, and at last the sweet reward of complete gratification. The sensations reverberate through our being as we take everything in, allowing ourselves to be engulfed in a moment of pure beauty. And though this description may sound very much like the phases of a sexual interlude, the process can be experienced in different forms as we go from kitchen to bedroom to out of doors.

This beauty we notice outside ourselves is a reflection of our inner state, though we may not be consciously aware of it; when we are internally at peace, we are able to focus on beauty for its own sake, and the pleasure it brings to our person. We may see the same level of glory in a perfect tomato as we do in a five-star meal. If you have ever been in the presence of a sensualist, you will note that his eyes twinkle, or he seems like someone who is truly alive.

What you are seeing is the purest of spirits – that person free of inner turmoil who is free to enjoy without restraint; it is a person greedy for the full experience of existence. The road to achieving such a state is a long one, and can be arduous, but it is critical to note that we need these sensual moments as human beings; they make our existence sweeter, freeing us to soar to the other side of bliss. In order to begin the process, however, we must truly understand its foundations.

Sensuality’s Roots

If we look at sensuality very simply, it is a state we encounter before any other kind of knowledge is even possible. We form our first impressions of the world in purely sensual fashion by virtue of necessity.

Our surroundings are interpreted by a series of impressions recorded by our lips, fingers, ears, eyes, and noses. A mother’s breast provides our first sense of comfort and nourishment, when we are not yet in possession of formal language skills; we cannot articulate what it is we sense, but we know what brings us pleasure and pain, and we pursue that which comforts.

Our senses also protect us before our minds have integrated concepts like “boiling hot tea,” and our instinctual physical makeup – our taste buds, for example – warns us of potential poisons. We must rely on all of these until our minds develop to the point where our senses are not our only means of interpretation.

As we age, our minds integrate concepts to form language, and we rely less on our senses to survive – we are no longer in a primitive state where the validity of our sensory perceptions can mean the difference between life and death. In 'The Physiology of Taste', food philosopher Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin captured well this phenomenon, stating that man’s increasing level of intelligence compels him to pursue “new heights in experiencing life on earth. In such a quest for satiety, once survival has become more assured, man’s senses become a powerful tool of enjoyment.” By use of man’s mind, “he has made all nature submit to him; he has bent it to his pleasures, his needs, his whims; he has turned it upside down, and a puny biped has become lord of creation.”

What is necessary to earn this state of lordship, however, is the use of thought to integrate why and how the senses are stimulated, and at what depths. In order to put those senses to good use, man must understand himself; his mind is at the root of it all, so he can choose to bypass thought and coast through existence in the pursuit of whimsical, shallow pleasures, or he can exercise his mind to see how deep the pleasure can go.

Given the close relation of food and sex, the philosophical and physical parallels involved in taking shortcuts or using substitutes in either has the same overall result. Man can be titillated with a quick thrill, or he can savor a lengthened moment of soulful, intense gratification.

Sensuality vs. Titillation

There is no question that food is sexy. One need only see the delicate skin of a peach or savor the onset of an “eye roller” when tasting a bite so sublime: one could die on the spot having lived fully. I have personally experienced a heightened state of arousal brought on by a truffle-flecked potato soup, so by no means do I dismiss or discount the pleasure to be found in such moments. Where this can become problematic, however, is when the state of arousal becomes the end instead of the means to the end, when the lust-induced momentary high of visceral stimulation replaces a profound depth of pleasure yet to be discovered.

We can see these surface-level thrills all around us in the form of pornography, both sexual and food-oriented. The phenomenon proliferates everywhere, from our computer screens to television, where one merely has to tune in to see it in action: chefs moan and roll their eyes with every bite, tempting an audience that is more likely to make reservations than the recipes they demonstrate. In fact, an August 2006 Details magazine article asked readers to distinguish between screen shots of porn stars in the throes of “ecstasy” and television chefs, and the audience (myself included) had difficulty discerning which was which.

This is titillation – the idea that such visual stimuli make the food erotic somehow, rather than the food providing us with the means toward a sensual journey of our own. In similar fashion, aphrodisiacs are touted as the ingredients du jour: the catalysts for a sensual food experience. Like olden-day carnival barkers the “sensual cooking” experts appear on camera extolling the erotic properties of sexy little avocados and bites of chocolate that will unveil your true path toward relationship bliss. Much like a curing tonic, the placebo effect is powerful – and it has taken our culture by storm. Of course, little is mentioned in all of this about the mind’s role in sexual stimulation, as that would not only hurt sales, but would also require the delayed gratification that comes with introspection.  Instead, the pleasure has become an end in itself, with no connection to the why of the pursuit – aside from getting one’s partner into bed.

It is important to note that in and of itself, there is nothing wrong with porn in any form, whether it is of the sexual or food variety. Anyone who has used it as an element of stimulation in a relationship knows how it can enhance the sexual experience. Where the problem occurs is when it replaces all other forms of stimulation, or when we find ourselves watching porn instead of pursuing a real relationship. Similarly, if we do nothing but watch “food tainment” instead of doing the actual cooking, and learning to savor the process, we are missing out on scores of opportunities to enhance our lives.

Sadly, as our cultural attention span gets shorter, it seems that foodtainment has taken hold and is slowly replacing the real joy to be found in cooking and eating. Star quality now takes precedence over the food, and gastronomic inquiry is second to a good push-up bra or catch-phrase. Like the consumption of sexual porn, the motive seems less about consuming the food than it is about consuming the entertainment.

The Joy of Cooking

When one is fully engaged in the act of preparing a meal, one is offered a journey of the senses that brings pleasure in numerous forms; and such enjoyments are not merely left to those who dine. For the passionate cook, each step of the planning – from carefully choosing a menu to hand-selecting each ingredient – is an act of love, a desire to satiate and nourish another. If all goes well in the cooking, each of these small steps builds to a crescendo of smiles as guests offer their sincere thanks and praise. The power to be found in such a moment cannot be discounted, and any chef will tell you so. As James Beard Award-winning chef Jean-Louis Gerin so eloquently put it, “Each night I make love to my guests. They are presented with the best I have to offer, because they are in my home.”

When we are able to provide this incredible service for another human being – no matter how simple the meal – we are making a statement of caring. We have put such time and effort into ensuring the happiness of these welcome guests as they sit at our table, those whom we have taken into our care for a short time. Sometimes the love comes in a to-go package as well. When I assemble my ingredients for Christmas baking, I anticipate with great excitement the smiles to come from my recipients. I know exactly who likes which cookies, and how they wait all year to receive that little tin from me. Talk about a power trip – to know that my gifts incite such anticipation is a soulfully enriching feeling.

If I am preparing a meal for a lover, the intensity is magnified tenfold. Here is a man I wish to satiate in every way possible, and my act of seduction begins with his palate. I carefully choose the right flavor to heighten his sensual experience, balancing texture and flavor with deft hands to demonstrate my skills, and more importantly to excite his mind. I carefully watch his face as he tastes each dish, eager to see a reaction. When it is a positive one, my soul does a little dance as I step ever closer to receiving the physical expression of thanks for my efforts. It is one long dance of foreplay that arouses, then satiates, and repeats again until there is but one measure of music left before the final step.

Contrast these scenarios with that of assembling a series of take-out containers on the table and see how the message changes. Such an act makes a statement that says, “Here is the quickest thing I could find.” Granted, in our modern culture it seems we are all pressed for time, and even I do not prepare a home-cooked meal each night; I understand what it means to feel rushed and hungry.
However, I still make the time to cook as often as I can, and especially on the weekends, because it is my way of reinforcing what is important to me. I am committed to treating myself well, and to savoring the sensual pleasures inherent in food. Even if my meal is as simple as a garden-ripened tomato drizzled with olive oil and some large basil leaves, I am comforted by the perfection I have tasted, and am satisfied knowing I have done something wonderful for my senses. The fragrance of the basil soothes me, and the delicate flavor of the olive oil grounds me to the earth as the juiciness of the tomato’s flesh excites me with its tart punch.

When we, as a culture, increasingly turn to others to feed us, we lose an important layer of personal involvement that enables us to nurture ourselves and one another. Where once Mother (or perhaps Father) prepared a meal served around the table with the whole family present, now it is more likely that someone in the family (whoever happens to be home) assembles food from a packet and throws it in the oven, or calls the take-out place for delivery. Nutrition and obesity issues aside, many children have never learned what it is like to receive the comfort of a meal crafted by a parent who loves them.

The irony is that homes are being built with ever-larger kitchens stocked with the latest in kitchen technology, and professional-grade ranges stand lonely and unlit while microwaves heat take-out meals. (If one has the income to hire a personal chef to come into the home, at least that magnificent kitchen is put to use!) This modern quandary has no easy solution – surely it is difficult to abandon our modern conveniences and change our lifestyles, but what has progress cost us? If we continue in this way, we may one day be left with generations who know nothing of the sense of pride and pleasure that comes from crafting a meal.

But perhaps – just perhaps, if they were encouraged to embrace the true beauty to be found in eating itself, they would find their way back to the kitchen.


The Art of Eating

To elevate eating to a form of art is to turn all of existence into a radiant canvas, where all that is wonderful in nature can be embraced in one sitting, as our eyes and nose take in the first hints of the pleasures to come. Our salivary glands respond, eager to take the first bite. As the texture of that bite coats our palate, we are engulfed with fragrance and hints of sweet or savory, then the full rhapsody of flavor and its aftertaste.

The desire to devour in this way – with what philosopher Ayn Rand referred to as radiant greed4 – is to engage one’s entire self in that moment of pleasure. We want to consume to the brink of ecstasy, and then a little bit more. Eating becomes a dance of the senses, where our heightened state of arousal takes on a heady, other-worldly feeling.

The same could be said of lovemaking, as the approach is what is most important. Do we wish to go through the motions, or do we want to experience that heightened sense where the rest of the world disappears? This is why I find the idea of aphrodisiacs troublesome, for they are mainly a placebo; any well-prepared meal becomes an aphrodisiac when savored in the right way. The aphrodisiac does not make you sexy – your own sensuality does.

As we pay more attention to sensory stimulation and gain a greater appreciation for our inner mechanisms, our senses become more acute, enabling us to reach such heights. Suddenly, we notice things that seemed to pass us by, and we might find ourselves stopping in mid-step to admire the crisp air and bright stars of an autumn sky; we feel as if some sort of inner poet has been unleashed, eager to see ever more beauty in our surroundings. And sex – a person never knew such heights, where the pleasure caresses us in gentle waves, enabling us to sustain a height of passion we might not have thought possible outside the realm of fantasy.

Such is the state of existence of the sensualist. For those unaware of this sublime state of reality, I cannot convey emphatically enough what a pleasure it is to arrive at such a destination.

The Road to Edenism

If my musings have inspired curiosity in you, or an eagerness to make your way toward the spot where I am now standing, take that as a very good sign: your inner sensualist has awakened, and is tickled with curiosity to know what lies ahead.

To get here, however, you must first plant your feet firmly on the path that heads this way, and the journey is comprised – as is any – of small but important steps. Most importantly, you must get to know who you really are, for it all begins in the mind. Do you know what makes your inner engine hum? What triggers a sensual response within you? If not, there is no better time to get to know yourself; take some time to be still and ponder quietly as you reflect on the things you value. What brings you true happiness of the kind that moves your soul?

As you get to know yourself better, it is time to start exploring the wonders that cuisine has to offer, to make a deeper connection with the foods you eat. Rather than going through the motions of eating what an anonymous person has created thousands of miles away – or worse yet, in a laboratory – develop an intimate familiarity with your food. To use that porn metaphor once again, think about the difference between watching the sex and having it. One is stimulating, to be certain, but the other eclipses it in comparison. The latter enriches us physically, mentally – and soulfully.

Instead of watching those cooks on television, learn to prepare that meal yourself, and present it to someone you love, even if the person is yourself. Learn to distinguish the difference in flavors and fragrance when you use fresh herbs in place of dried. Better yet, drive right by that supermarket parking lot and head for your local farm stand, where you can meet the farmer who lovingly grew the fruits and vegetables you are about to consume. All of these efforts build upon each other until the sight of a perfect plum is a source of inspiration instead of mere sustenance.

As with anything, of course, it is important to take your time, and moderate your actions. If the senses are constantly over-stimulated, they begin to dull, which will slow your progress. Remember, we all need a breather, as anyone can tell you after a marathon of great sex or delicious four-course meals. We need to give our senses time to recuperate so we can entice them once again – and that is the fun part, after all.

This entire journey is one of self-exploration, so there is no formulaic approach I can give you. Simply start by thinking, and act on those thoughts. See what results from your actions, and commit to exploring further with an endless state of curiosity. Find out what Brussels sprouts look like on the stalk, and put your hands in the dirt of a farm. If you are really into the adventure, go and milk a cow. Each of these experiences contributes to our holistic view of what we eat, and the earth it comes from – and to soar toward the sky, we must first know the ground on which we stand.

We may be born sensualists in a primitive sense, but it is as thinking, rational adults that we can elevate ourselves to a more evolved state of sensuality. I cannot recommend the voyage highly enough, and I implore you to try it for yourself. I will put aside a fig leaf here in Eden for your arrival.

By Jennifer L. Iannolo in the book 'Food & Philosophy - Eat, Think, and be Merry', edited by Fritz Allhoff and Dave Monroe, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford UK, 2007, p. 239-249. Edited and adapted to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.

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