Like a great meal sampling spices, sweets, and flavours, Feeding the Hungry Ghost combines elements of humour, spirituality, cultural food traditions, current science about health and diet, and personal stories to show how to make every bite of food sustaining and sustainable. Feeding the Hungry Ghost is about the intersection of food and faith, written for people who haven't done much with either - but wish they could. Faith and food, nourishment for the soul and nourishment for the body, have always been connected, from the first time a mother sacrificed her own meal for a child's nourishment or a group of believers offered sacrifices to an unseen god in the form of meat, livestock, or fruit they could hardly spare. No matter how much we eat, we won't be satisfied until we acknowledge this connection and take the next step, honouring the food we consume and recognizing the symbolism and traditions it embodies.
The "hungry ghost" of the title is a Tao concept, evoking restless souls still hungry, still seeking, even beyond the grave. Food alone does not satisfy this spirit within each of us. Spirituality alone doesn't fulfill all our human needs, either. Which is why we need to learn to eat mindfully, in harmony with natural seasons and in relationship with our family and wider communities.
Ellen Kanner's book offers humorous, insightful stories and delicious vegan recipes from her personal arsenal, many of them re-workings of cultural favourites from around the world. Recipes include vegan alternatives to staples such as zucchini bread, seed cake, chocolate cake, and matzo flatbread as well as exciting combos that will please any foodie, such as Wake the Dead Noodles, Turkish Millet and Greens, and Moroccan Carrot Salad. She describes how simple choices can begin to change habits and alter behaviour and how these small steps can lead to a healthier, happier person and a healthier, more peaceful planet.
