When I was studying to become a dietitian, I kept thinking there just HAS to be more than this- to reduce food down to just the nutritional components completely stripped food of all of the joy it has to offer.

 

Shortly after graduating from THE Ohio State University, I moved to Europe with my husband, and it was in Europe that the understanding around food suddenly started to make sense to me. People in Italy would take hours to eat dinner, sitting and enjoying the simple ingredients that come together to create a magical meal. People in Paris sat outside cafes in the middle of the day, savoring pastries baked to perfection, not fearing the calories, but mindfully and slowly enjoying the buttery treat. I was experiencing these cultures that celebrated food and cooking rather than fearing eating and preparing meals- and I was immediately hooked.