Embracing The Middle Way

Though he passed away when I was still very young, this little bit of folk wisdom has stayed with me throughout my life, and although, at the time, I may not have fully understood the true meaning of grandpa’s favourite saying, I eventually came to understand that it was his way of introducing us to the benefits of moderation. Though I often struggle to put it into practice, it is a saying that has served me well throughout my life, and not just where the dinner table is concerned.

But these days, it seems harder and harder to implement this wisdom, as the cultural tide continues to shift towards an acceptance of overindulgence and excess. All around us are messages to consume more, eat more, spend more, party more, and drink more. Just listen to our music - often a telling indicator of a society’s values - many of our song lyrics promote and praise excessive drinking and eating. The attitude towards wanton spending is the same, as all around us are vulgar displays of wealth and reckless spending, starting with the government itself whose members are constantly implicated in scandal after scandal concerning misuse of funds. The messages to overindulge, often from those who are supposed to be in positions of leadership, are clear.

But all of this excess comes at a high price.
Obesity rates in this country have been soaring, and one UN based organisation frighteningly places us in the list of top ten fattest countries in the world. Though the predilection for gluttony can be traced back to the immorality of plantation days, the in_ ltration of scores of American fast food chains with their American fast food portion sizes has only served to make matters worse.

With regards to our attitude to alcohol, I think that it is clear that we are not a society that practices responsible drinking. Is it any surprise that alcohol related deaths and accidents are so common when a government sponsored competition once rewarded a singer one million dollars for a song about rum? Again, the messages to overindulge are clear.
The great irony is that all of this excess does not make us happy; it actually reduces the amount of pleasure that we feel. Human beings are extraordinarily adaptable, and the more pleasure that we feel from something, is the more stimulation that we will require in the future to feel that same level of pleasure. Once we start on the treadmill of ‘more, more, more’, it’s hard to get off of it.

The Buddha once taught his followers that they must strive to be like a sitar that is neither strung too tightly, nor too loosely. A sitar that is strung too loosely, he reasoned, would not be able to play a tune, while a sitar that is strung too tightly, would eventually snap.
I think that this is a wonderful way to think about ourselves as consumers, that we should aim to be like the moderately strung sitar, neither denying ourself pleasure, nor enjoying to excess; perfectly in tune. So the next time we sit down to a delicious meal, it would perhaps serve us well to remember to leave the table feeling like we could have eaten just a little bit more. Through practicing a bit of moderation, we might just end up enjoying ourselves a bit more.

Simple Korean Pancake (gamjajeon) Here is a wonderfully simple recipe for a korean potato pancake called gamjajeon.
Please enjoy - in moderation, of course!

Ingredients

1 large potato, grated

? cup small onion, grated

? cup potato or corn starch

? tsp salt

For Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tbs chive, chopped

1 tsp pepper sauce

1 tsp white sugar

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds.

Directions
1 Combine all ingredients for sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.

2 Grate potato and onion and place in a small bowl. Add potato starch and salt and mix to combine.

3 Heat a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add two tsps vegetable oil and swirl the pan around to coat evenly.

4 Add potato mixture and spread it thinly on pan.

5 Cook for a few minutes until the bottom of the mixture turns light brown and crispy.

6 Flip pancake over and cook until other side turns golden brown and crispy as well.

7 Slide onto a plate, cut into eight triangular pieces (as if you were cutting a pizza) and serve with dipping sauce. Enjoy!