Tuesday, September 29, 2009

"drink good coffee, eat good food"



Victoria Moran is an author and lifestyle coach that writes about living with heart and soul in the real world and for the past 10 years she has captured my heart. Her lovely books came into my life when I was a stressed out mom trying to find my place in this world and make my life feel more creative and complete. Don't get me wrong, I love being a mom - but I've always been the kind of person that needs time to herself, to be creative and find meaning in my life. To this day, I carry at least one of her books with me at all times - they are my little teddy bear that I hug when I need some reassurance, so today I proudly present to you a wonderful passage from her book Creating A Charmed Life:
Drink good coffee, eat good food
"Make it a point to eat a minimum of one meal a day sitting at a table and using utensils. Flowers, candles, cloth napkins and dishes that would break if you dropped them are extra credit.

A chalkboard at my favorite cafe admonishes " Drink good coffee, eat good food" I never noticed it until the night of the concert. Another customer, a man in his forties, I'd say, put his cup on top of the upright piano that I'd thought was there just for decoration, or because it was too heavy to move out. He then sat down and started to play - movie themes, Gershwin, Broadway scores, light classics. I was serenaded for an hour for the price of a latte and panini.

As he played I realized that I was immersed in quality - good coffee, good food, good music - and I grieved just a little over all the times I'd settled for less. People who live well drink good coffee - or tea or juice or water or wine. They eat good food: delicious, healthful and nicely presented. They wear good clothes - not necessarily expensive but comfortable, becoming and well maintained. They treat themselves to uplifting films and plays and performances. The subject matter might be somber, even tragic, but the quality of the work can move the spirit just the same. Living well could stand to be more widely practiced. For example, everybody eats, but few people dine. This is such a loss. And because we're in the final sputters of decades of dieting obsession, we have the opportunity to fabricate a new, liberating definition of "good food" for our daughters and sons. Good food is real - that is, it grew, or it's primary ingredients grew. It is edible without benefit of chemistry. Eating good food, like reading good books, is worth sitting down for. It's worth sharing with people you care about or, if you are eating alone, good food is worth savoring - without watching TV, and certainly not while driving a car. " Victoria Moran
(photos via here & here)

16 comments:

  1. Adore eating good food, i feel so much better! x

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  2. Did you write this just for me? ;)

    Beautifully written Cathi....I totally agree with the sentiment of it and I am going to check out her books....they sound like exactly what I need.

    And the piano player sounds so wonderful....how lovely.

    Have a happy day honey :)

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  3. Ohhh I just love this! I vow to do less eating and more "dining"!
    XX Kate

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  4. I love this post! Love the photo, book excerpt and the way you related it. Especially with such a great message. It's funny I stopped putting mayo on sandwiches, I work in a Jewish office, and I've never appreciated the taste of fresh bread and good deli meat more, by eliminating one ingredient. Love my fruits and veggies too, especially homegrown!

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  5. KELLIE - it does make us all feel so much better....thanks for stopping by!

    SIMONE - Victoria wrote that I didn't...but it speaks to all of us women...My three fave books of hers are: Creating a Charmed Life, Younger by the Day: 365 ways to rejuvenate your body and revitalize your spirt and her newest book Living A Charmed Life. Have a wonderful day yourself!! :)

    KATE - we all need to do more dining and less eating. Last night my daughter and her boyfriend made dinner and set a table outside with a tablecloth and candles and they loved it!

    SIMPLY COLETTE - It's a wonderful passage that Victoria wrote so I can't take credit...but the sentiment is what we all need to be reminded of at times....I love fruits and veggies (that wasn't always the case, but is now.)Our bodies just feel so much better when we watch what we put into them!

    HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE!!

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  6. Wow - I love that. Just the title of your post had me instantly. Thanks for that!

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  7. I like those books as well, especially reading them with you while you drink good coffee and we eat good food at Aroma's. haha

    =) xoxo
    -Stephanie

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  8. I could go for a serenade while sipping a little tea and eating a panini!! That sounds glorious!

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  9. fresh ingredients make all the difference. i am trying to have BF make that happy face for me whenever he makes me his gourmet coffee.

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  10. Such a lovely post! Have a sweet day! x

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  11. Dear Cathi,

    You made a difference in my day today. Thank you for your lovely blog.

    I'll be visiting often.

    Best regards,
    Tish

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  12. What a wonderful post Cathi ~ I find we are so wrapped up in everything that we let life pass us by. I love the message here and good food is always good!

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  13. What a lovely post! A cup of Jamaican Blue or good cheese makes my day every time!

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  14. PAIGE - it really is a wonderful passage, thank you for stopping by!

    JOCIEGAL - i just love it too...just the title makes you smile! thanks for you kind words!

    STEPHANIE - the feeling is extremely mutual!! XXOO

    A.LOVE - it sounds heavenly!

    SAVVY GAL - fresh ingredients make all the difference...has BF succeeded yet? thanks for stopping by!

    TORIE JAYNE - thank you so much, i love it too!

    TISH - thank you so much for your kind words and glad you could make a difference in your day...you have a pretty awesome blog yourself and you will be seeing me there too!

    LORI - you're right - we need to learn to enjoy the simple things in life a bit more!

    BONJOUR MADAME - my feeling exactly!

    KRISTIN - thank you! your treat sounds great!

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Thanks for the smile - pass it along! xxoo

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