holistic conscious eater
July 2018, O'ahu, Hawaii. Pacific Islands
There are stories we want to tell, people who have had such an impact on us that we want to share their wonderful experiences so that they can inspire others and create a wonderful virtuous circle of transmission •
Drawing on his life experience, the man everyone calls Uncle Vince - even if he's not related! - in Waianae, a small coastal town to the west of the island of O'ahu in Hawaii - reveals his vision of food and good living during an unexpected meal shared at his home, on a day when the Hawaiian heat was scorching the countryside, preventing us from carrying out our outdoor activities •
« when you acknowledge what you have, then you just get more of that. »
We started with a prayer, and he said to me: « your left hand up, your right hand down ». i followed his instructions and then he said : « just remember that, the left hand receives with the heart and the right hand gives. i don't remember where i learnt that. ive got that from different kind of circles over the years.
But i'm pretty done with praying and asking for things because i realize that the God that i know is not my servant. and then i realize when ive been talking to people that if you always want and ask for something instead of seeing the world as it is, you just gonna get more opportunities to want and ask.and you're never satisfied •
“ it’s just the way it is.”
« when you constantly want and ask for something more, it becomes a habit. and in the end you're never satisfied. »
But when you acknowledge what you have, then you just get more of that and when you stay just thankful for all this things, they just keep coming back, instead of saying « i wish i had this, please God can you give me this ? ». so that's a part of it, and you know, in the local hawaiian style, when you eat you pray.even the children pray •
We like when everybody participate.so we make this circle of appreciation, and pretty often someone speaks aloud to tell for what he is thankful. this is about all here is our way of praying and you know what ?
After that, the food taste better • « it's just the way it is » •
I considered this words of wisdom with attention while i was trying to etch them in my mind, as i used to do in the classroom as a child • « food is part of you » he said, before following with : « a good food is medecine • So, if food is our medecine, it's important to stay aware of what kind of medecine you are putting in your body, some of it is good and some others could not be good. and some can be good today but not good tomorrow •
There's an old hawaiian saying « ai ka mea eod'a », which means « eat the things that you have » • And when they made that saying they weren't talking about Costco or Safeway or some other big stores type METRO in France • They were talking about eating what's in your garden, what you can grow in your backyard, what's in your mountains around or your oceans •
« food is medecine »
ai : eat ka mea : the things eoa a : that you have
For exemple when i go out for fishing, i talk to the fish inside me and ask to one to come. because we are all inter-related and connected. to me it's not sad, it's like : that fish now, has a bigger purpose as he is part of us, and i thank him deeply, him sacrificing his life for us. because that's what he's doing, and that's what food is doing for us • but they also are fighting to the very end for their lives • it wasn't like « oh yeah, you can just have my life, go on...», they're like : « Nooo, i'm gonna try to get away ! » • and that's the difference with the fish that i've got in my river and the one that i would have find to the big store •
« all these animal's lives come from factory farming they're born to die, deprived of their destiny. that's why the vegan style has been rising over the last years. to keep a balance. »
« oh yeah, you can just have my life, go on... ! »
« all these animals are bred to die deprived of their destinies. this is exactly why veganism was born and has begun to grow in recent years, in order to preserve a form of balance in the world. »
« i love food, i love to eat, i love cooking • But i love real food. » he said so that's why we spend our time mostly cultivating and gathering, and preparing food •
80% of the time i eat at home. and i know what im eating • may be most of it comes from the yard. so it's good • It's real. but 20% of the time when you're hosted by friends or you go outside at the restaurant, you just eat what's there, and you give thanks for that •
« i don't even think that gm food can be considered as food…i mean real food. »
« i want everything on my table to be good for my children when they come home. »
We don't say « oh shit, it must be this kind of food, so i don't eat it ! » • But i will also say that i don't even think that gm food can be considered as food i don't know what that is, but it's definitely not food...
(laughs)
I don't want it in my house, because i want that everything on my table be friendly to my babies • when they come and say « oh papa, i want that ! » i don't wanna say « oh sorry you can't have that… » cause there're bad stuff in it, you can't take it...» • I just don't want they ask me for something to eat, i'd like they just take it because everything is good and friendly for them, or anyone else » •
« i want that everything on my table be friendly to my babies ».
Photography Aliya Claire H.
May 2018
O’ahu, Hawai’I
