Being called a foodie can sometimes sound derogatory. Especially when my mum says it in her native tongue(Yoruba) ‘Olounje’ which means a person that has a lot of food or likes a lot of foods. To me I’m indifferent to it, eating a lot of food is almost like a hobby for me and has helped me through a lot in my health and emotional life. I know you’re wondering… huh? what does food have to do with emotions?? Hold on, I’ll explain soon.
You know sometimes you’d just be scrolling through the pages of your social media and then you see pictures of delicious treats and meals that makes your mouth water. At that moment, if anything is bothering you, maybe you’re angry, sad or gloomy, seeing those pictures just makes you forget your sorrow because all that will be on your mind suddenly is FOOD!!
My dear, its good to eat food oh, don’t let no fellow man deceive you!
Back then, in secondary school, I got a nickname from my friends, they always called me ‘Jaiye ounje’ which means ‘enjoy food’. They actually got the ‘jaiye’ which means ‘enjoy’ from my surname which is ‘Jaiyeola’, so they replaced the ‘ola’ which means ‘life or wealth’ with ‘ounje’ which means food. The way people come up with nicknames easily and fast in this part of the world will amaze you.
The point is, I had a habit of eating a lot of food then, especially bread and beans which was my best food. So it was more like a legacy which I made. Even in university, I’ll go to the cafeteria to buy iya peculiar’s bread and beans every morning which was always a savory meal for me. At home, when I’m going to my shop, I always have my favorite bread and beans eatery where enjoyment of the meal is an understatement.
Food is good for the body. And the quantity of food people consume depends on their body chemistry and also their emotions. For instance, someone who does heavy duty work like maybe construction work has to consume a lot of calories for energy production, meanwhile someone who does little work a day might just consume meager amounts.
But this can be reverse too, because most times I’ve come across people that actually eat not because they’re hungry or have a lot to do, but because they’re very bored. Strange right?? Funny thing is, I’m one of those people. When I’m bored sometimes I just go to the nearest shop and buy some junk food, maybe sausages, fibre rich biscuits or even groundnut. The thing is, I’m not necessarily hungry, but I just want to keep my mouth busy lol.
There are also times when I’m gloomy and sad or very angry because someone annoyed me or maybe something bad happened, I’m meant to go on a hunger strike right?? But I like myself so much, I’ll just take like two to three sachets of cereals and down it in minutes And the funny thing is, as I’m chewing and swallowing with all pent up frustration, sadness and anger, I’m slowly getting rid of those negative emotions. Some people would even eat raw flakes without milk and water.
There’s a book I love reading, its called the book of Ecclesiastes. The author of the book, Solomon; who was the wisest man in his time, said, “I think God doesn’t want us to worry too much about our lives and questions we can’t answer, rather he wants us to enjoy our work, and enjoy our foods and drinks”.
Even Jesus said, “ Man shall not live by bread alone but also by the Word of God”. Even He who knew fasting was good, acknowledged that food was also important for sustenance of life.
So my dear readers and foodies, this is an encouragement for you, eat good food and drink a lot of water. It’s good for your overall health. Let no man deceive you, I repeat, let no man deceive YOU!
