Food for a Clear Mind
W hat W e C an L earn F rom C ooking W ithout A lliums
Can you imagine cooking without alliums, aka garlic, onions, chives, or leeks? In Buddhist temples in Korea, avoiding alliums is something that has been practiced for hundreds of years. Days are filled with prayer, meditation, and meals centered on vegetables and fermented foods — no meat, fish, or alliums. Monks and nuns who live in these temples cook with intention, to keep a clear mind and a healthy body. As one nun explains, “The food creates the entire human being.” A typical temple meal might include rice, mushroom fritters, fried potatoes, kimchi, fermented radishes, marinated tofu, and crispy greens. Despite missing the ingredients so many of us rely on for flavor, anyone who’s tried temple food attests to how aromatic and delicious it is. How is this achieved? With fermented foods, carefully aged sauces, and fresh ingredients picked straight from the source. Many temples grow their own food and use what’s in season, preserving vegetables and fruits at the end of summer to sustain them through the winter. Soy sauce is traditionally fermented in large jars throughout the year and can be aged for 50 years or more to elicit the deep umami flavor that makes temple cuisine so flavorful. Each meal is intended to be fulfilling and nourishing so residents can focus on their meditation and prayers.
the pungent properties in them are believed to distract the mind. Those following a low-FODMAP diet (a diet restricting foods not well absorbed by the small intestine) and those suffering from IBS also opt to cut alliums from their diet to improve digestion. It may be worth avoiding alliums for a day or two and noting how you feel. Maybe, like the nuns and monks in Korea, you’ll find yourself graced with a clear mind and a happy belly.
Several different cultures and religions, including Buddhism and Ayurvedic medicine, have traditionally avoided alliums because
Top of the Class MBA Law Day at Chelsea High School
Law Day was first conceived by the American Bar Association in 1957 to celebrate and bring attention to the principles of justice and the practice of law. By 1961, Congress named May 1 as the official date of Law Day in the United States. Today, the MBA embraces Law Day as an opportunity to help students become informed and engaged citizens. We at Spada Law Group are proud to be part of that mission. If you’re interested in learning more about Law Day, visit MassBar.org/ public/2019-law-day-education-program .
Before school let out this past spring, Spada Law Group was proud to participate in Massachusetts Bar Association’s (MBA) 2019 Law Day Program. This is an annual event in which attorneys and judges visit local high schools and engage history or political science classes on a specific legal topic. Attorney Len Spada visited Chelsea High School and spoke to Ms. Ilana Ascher’s Advanced Placement History class on this year’s topic: “Free Press, Free Speech, Free Society.” Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are two of the most important foundations of a free society in the United States and around the world. It’s important that the next generation of American citizens understand the value of these freedoms and why they must be protected. The MBA Law Day Program focuses on what freedom of speech and freedom of the press are and how Supreme Court decisions have helped establish what these freedoms look like in the United States today. “It was really great to speak to these super bright students about our freedoms,” Len says. “I requested to speak at Chelsea High, since our main office has been located in Chelsea since 1998. These students were so engaged and asked some really great questions. I always find it energizing to be around young people who have strong opinions and aren’t afraid to express them and to discuss important topics. It was a great experience!”
2 • SPADALAWGROUP.COM
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online