Search Results

Ingredients: 240 ml heavy cream (L. fat, S. salt, S. umami) 60 ml Amaretto liqueur (L. sweet, M. bitter) 30 ml Tia Maria liqueur (L. bitter) 60 grams granulated sugar (adjust to taste) (XL. sweet) 60 grams grated dark chocolate (L. bitter) 60 grams roasted hazelnuts, chopped (L. sweet, M. sour, S. fat) 1 teaspoon speculaas spice blend* (L. sharp, M. bitter) *This is a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and cardamom. If you don't have access to speculaas spices you could also replace them with gingerbread or pumpkin spices. The exact balance will be different, but close enough to make this dish a success. Instructions: Whip the Cream: In a large mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Combine Liqueurs: Gently fold in the Amaretto and Tia Maria liqueurs until well combined. Sweeten to Taste: Gradually add granulated sugar, tasting as you go to adjust the sweetness according to your preference. Add Chocolate and Spices: Once the mixture has reached soft peaks, gently fold in the grated chocolate and speculaas spice blend. Spoon into Glasses: Spoon the syllabub into serving glasses or bowls. Roast Hazelnuts: In a small pan over medium heat, roast the hazelnuts until fragrant and slightly golden. Be careful not to burn them. Top with Hazelnuts: Sprinkle the roasted hazelnuts over the top of each serving of syllabub. Optional Garnish: Optionally, garnish with additional grated chocolate or a dusting of cocoa powder for extra visual appeal. Serve: Serve immediately for a delightful treat or refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving for a chilled dessert. Don’t forget to share and enjoy.

The ice block in the middle of the room contains an early human, frozen in an instant. The scientists believe they can unfreeze him and ensure he returns to life. Walking, talking, interacting and hopefully understanding enough that we can study him. Even though our expectations need to be tempered because this has never been done before, we are highly curious how they will fare in this modern time. Can ancient humans adapt to living in modern society? We all know the story in one form or the other, an “ancient” person comes to modern times and chaos ensues. They fail or have a hard time adapting, don’t understand many of the social cues but at the same time seem to adapt in the end. Have you ever really thought about how strange that conclusion is? We truly believe on a subconscious level that the body and mind that is suited for the ice age is also built for modern days. Trading spear and animal skin for a computer and a suit. That’s it… now you’re ready for the modern world.  Humans (as any organism) keep evolving, but our social evolution is going far faster than what our bodies can keep up with. Genetically we have very little difference from those ancient ancestors, but our world has changed completely. Genetic changes take many generations. The speed of evolution always depends on how hard we are pressed to change. Pressed by immediate dangers this could be relatively fast (like with skin colour) or take way longer (walking on two feet) A population-wide genetic adaptation in humans on average takes twenty thousand years before we are completely adapted to new circumstances. Reading it quickly twenty thousand years doesn’t sound like a lot, so let’s put that into perspective. Farming has been one of the greatest changes in our society. Without farming and all its direct and indirect effects, almost everything we do today would be impossible. So how long ago do you think we started farming?Evidence puts the earliest farming somewhere between ten and twelve thousand years ago. So with a bit of luck humanity is genetically just over halfway adapted to living the farm life. You are probably reading this while sitting in a warm building, with some drink and food nearby during your spare time. We hardly need to move, we eat and drink things our ancestors couldn’t even dream of and we follow a clock to tell us when we can do what we want. How can we expect ourselves to be adapted to this kind of modern luxury when we haven’t even adapted to farming yet? Yes, we are living the lives of modern humans, but we still come with a framework (the primal being) that isn’t built for modern times. We can fight that reality all we want, but it will take many, many, many generations before we can truly call ourselves modern. We are at the exact point “where the falling angel meets the rising ape” right in the middle between primal instinct and modern man. We need to accept that we live in the grey area between the entirely rational and fully instinctual and we need that balance to be fully human. When we look at the four pillars of health we can see how extreme the mismatch is between the modern lifestyle and our primal being and how difficult balance can be. All these pillars will in time get an in-depth blog of their own, for now however we will keep it short. Nutrition: Modern-day abundance in both food and alcohol is something we’re not built to manage. Our cravings used to be our guide, but now they betray us. Because they no longer know what food is “real” and don’t need to adapt to the seasons anymore. We see the effects all around: beer bellies, obesity and now we even have “skinny fat”. And let’s not dive into the vitamin and mineral deficiencies that run rampant. Rest: Clocks, calendars and schedules dictate our days. We know when to go to sleep, when to eat, when to work and even when to relax. We are equipped with an ancient biorhythm which between obligations, (screen) lights and stress seems to have been forgotten. The clock knows everything the modern human needs to know. Movement: Modern human can do everything from the comfort of their computer while sitting in a comfy chair. When we want to move we go to a centralised building to challenge ourselves. Our primal being remembers the days we NEEDED to move every single day, to get to food or safety. Our sedentary lifestyles are slowly killing us and we accept it in the name of comfort. Community: The nuclear family has been the holy unit in recent times. Four of five members are your direct community, everyone else is further away, lives their own lives or has others to care about. Social media connects us in spirit, but those connections are fleeting at best. Humans are built to be part of our tribe, and take care of those that are part of “us”. But with so many people around, our friend groups don’t overlap and change all the time. The “us” has been lost and so is our primal being. I don’t want to end on a negative note, so let’s be clear: modern society has a ton of amazing benefits we shouldn’t dismiss. We don’t need to fight off tigers or the cold, we no longer starve during the winter and space for specialisation (like medicine) is much appreciated. Modern human is taller and growing older than ever (together they form the best indication of health). What we however also shouldn't dismiss is that we are still human, not that far away from our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Accepting both truths simultaneously is needed in our quest to find balance. Where in return that balance comes with a happier and healthier life. So let’s celebrate that we are neither modern beings nor our primal nature. We are the place where these two meet. We are primal beings.

Ingredients: 170g self-raising flour (M. bitter, M. sweet) 170g unsalted butter, softened (XL. fat, S. sweet, S. umami) Zest of 2 oranges (L. sour, S. bitter) 4 balls of stem ginger, finely chopped (L. sharp, M. sweet, S. sour) 2 large eggs (S. salty, S. umami) 150g granulated sugar (XL. sweet) A splash of milk (if needed) (M. sweet, S. umami, S. salty) A pinch of salt (XL. salt) Candied orange slices (for optional topping) (XL. sweet, M. sour) Instructions: Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease and line a loaf pan (about 20 cm x 10 cm) with parchment paper. Prepare the Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, sift the self-raising flour and add a pinch of salt. Set aside. Cream the Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This can be done using a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Add Eggs and Orange Zest: Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the orange zest and finely chopped stem ginger. Arrange Orange Slices: Before incorporating the dry ingredients, arrange candied orange slices on the bottom of the prepared loaf pan. You can also add some additional fresh orange slices for extra moisture and flavour. Incorporate the Dry Ingredients: Gradually fold in the sifted self-raising flour and salt into the wet ingredients until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Adjust Consistency: If the batter seems too thick, add a splash of milk and gently fold until you achieve a smooth, dropping consistency. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Keep an eye on it and adjust the time as needed. Cooling: Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve and Enjoy: Once completely cooled, slice and enjoy your Sticky Orange Ginger Cake with the beautiful candied orange topping!

In our blog “Rituals of the Hearth: Cooking as a Primal Connection” we already mentioned how cooking shaped human society. But it also shows a starting point, the point where we as humans started to get greater value out of sharing. To this day humans share with not just those close to them, but also with complete strangers if we feel they deserve it. Areas hit by natural disasters always gather crazy amounts of donations, even though there is no direct benefit to those donating. Sharing seems to be ingrained into our very genetics, we feel for others and share what we have because it is “the right thing to do”. It is strange to think that we are built to share, even when sharing becomes dangerous to ourselves. But especially when there is scarcity we share what little we have. However, there seems to be an intuitive order when it comes to deciding who we share with and who not. First in line seem to be those that are part of our family. Your own children always seem to be in the very first spot, spouses, siblings and parents following closely after, with aunts, uncles and cousins behind them. Biologically a very sensible order as it improves the chances of our family’s survival (and often connected genes). This makes it seem genetics are very important. However, in practice, it is very questionable how far they are actually involved because family bonding doesn’t always seem to take genes or even species into account. An adopted child can often expect the same consideration as a biological child, whereas an estranged father can certainly forget being part of the family and many pets are on every level part of the family. This may be a modern genetic mismatch because these cases hardly existed in prehistoric times or they are a simple side effect of our social evolution. Whatever it is, it is safe to say we choose who belongs to our family and feel a very strong urge to take care of those within and share what we can. The second layer is what used to be the prehistoric tribe we lived in. Friends, (early relationship) partners, colleagues and neighbours most often fill those spots in modern times. Sharing among these people often is about caring for them. A friend can count on you to share your time and advice, a colleague can expect your help when working on a project and a neighbour may borrow some of your tools. All acts of selflessness, that usually come from a place of caring for each other, just as a family. The difference however is that there often is an (unspoken) expectation to get back what you put in, even if we are unaware of it. It doesn’t need to be a one-on-one trade-off, but there has to be a balance. “I help you now, so I can count on some help from you when I might need it in the future, even if that day may never come.” An unspoken but universal truth between humans, when we share we need to be able to trust the other. We all know at least one person who took advantage of the goodness of people around us and didn’t return the kindness. Who is that for you? I’m quite certain you don’t have a particularly good feeling about the person you’re now thinking about. Right? That brings us to layer three of sharing: improving your reputation. Since the dawn of time sharing has also been a way to improve your reputation. An even grander scale of hoping that at some point you are repaid for sharing. Not directly by those you have shared with, but in the hope of getting the repayment through other ways. Kindness, caring, dependability, helpfulness, generosity and many more are all qualities that we give to people based on how willing they share their time, thoughts and/or possessions, and it pays off. “They are kind and dependable” is a reputation that can open doors for you, even with people who have only heard about you. That is of course, as long as you have a good reputation. Those who don’t share (be it their time, knowledge, food or other things) often get a bad reputation that just as well closes doors, even if they have never met the other person. It often annoys me to see people sharing on social media how they give a homeless man a sandwich, even though it is very human. The people filming are sharing and wish to use their “kindness” to improve their reputation. What backfires is that their reputation is formed, based on that conditional kindness, and that’s a reputation you probably don’t want. On the other hand, an internet personality like MrBeast who admits he needs the reputation (and views) to keep doing what he does gets more respect. He knows he is leveraging our empathy for sharing and he builds a reputation so he can spread more good deeds. His reputation becomes one of honesty within a broken system. That’s a reputation that opens doors. Reputation deeply matters to people, not just for their egos but definitely also for improved survival. It opens doors, starts relations and depending on your reputation can keep you physically safe. Having discussed these layers it is interesting to take one step back and get an overview because all three show some overlap. We share with those that we feel deserve it, be it because of genetics, an unspoken social contract or because of their or our own reputation. Because those people deserve it we are willing to go against our own interest (up to a certain point of course) People can lose the privilege of being deserving almost exclusively by breaking that unspoken social contract This is where sharing with strangers comes in because it is a very delicate personal balance. Does the stranger deserve your sharing or have they lost that privilege? When a disaster strikes and threatens lives we often share what we can, those people deserve our help (they deserve to live) and didn’t break the contract. They just have bad luck. When it comes to an addicted, aggressive homeless person in front of your supermarket though, that balance may quickly shift. Those that are “in” can count on the safety of the group, those that are “out” are doomed to depend only on themselves. Caring through sharing has to be one of the most human traits there is, sometimes transcending even the boundaries of humanity, shown by how often even animals are adopted into the “in”. The value our primal being gives to sharing as you can understand is very high. Even if on a subconscious level it keeps us safer. This simple fact has been ingrained so far into humanity that it is close to impossible to be human without sharing, be it happiness, time or possessions.

Ingredients: 300 grams salmon steak (with skin) (L. salt, S. umami, S. fat) Salt and pepper to taste (XL. salt, M. sharp) 2 tablespoons olive oil (XL. fat) Fresh parsley and rosemary sprigs for the bed (M. sour, M. bitter) 2 tbsp Herb Butter: Find our recipe here (Mixed all tastes, mainly sharp, fat) Instructions: Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 110°C (230°F). Prepare the salmon: Pat the salmon steak dry with paper towels. Cover both sides of the salmon steaks evenly with salt and pepper. Prepare the bed of herbs: Lay a bed of fresh parsley and rosemary sprigs on a baking dish or tray. Roast the salmon: Place the seasoned salmon steak on top of the bed of herbs, skin side down. Drizzle olive oil over the salmon. Roast in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the salmon is just set and tender (a nice soft pastel pink). Add the herb butter: In the last 5 minutes of roasting, spoon the herb butter over the salmon steak, allowing it to melt and coat the fish. Serve: Carefully cut and transfer the salmon steaks to serving plates. Spoon any remaining herb butter from the baking dish over the salmon. Don’t forget to share and enjoy.

Three small figures are crouched down near the fire, a pile of food next to them. A bunch of root veggies, some leaves, and a couple of shellfish. Carefully they’re roasting the food, catching as much liquid as they can in the shells. More figures can be seen in the dim light cast by the fire, further away against the edge of the clearing. They seem to be on the lookout, sticks in hand to defend themselves from whatever may come out of the jungle. The light, smoke and sound of the fire and cooking attracts unwanted attention from the animals around. But many of these products can’t be eaten without cooking, or at least take a lot longer to digest and are far less tasty. The time preparing and waiting for the food is spent talking, telling stories and sharing the day. When they finally sit down to eat the entire tribe shares what little they have. Those most valued and honoured might get the first pick, but everyone gets to eat from the shared stack of food. Even though the hunters have failed today and brought home nothing, tomorrow is another chance and maybe they will bring back a feast. We don’t know for sure how the early human societies worked, but based on a lot of what we do know this is pretty much the picture I always create in my mind. A chosen family, trusting of each other sharing a meal and a story around the fire. When people say controlled fire is the greatest “invention” humans have made they are spot on. But often not for the reasons they think fire is important. They usually go down the road of it allowing for all other progress in the form of melting metals. I think we really need to take a step back though. Fire has shaped not only our biology but also our communities. Cooking on a fire is a dangerous thing to do. Not only for the fire itself, but also for all the attention a fire will attract. If you are not strong enough to defend your food a fire is a sure fire way to lose it. So we bonded together, the value of fire high enough to take those risks. This story really has two parts. So let’s begin with biology. Fire allows generally worthless foods to be valuable. Potatoes for example have little value (and can even make you sick) when uncooked. But when cooked they are a great source of energy. This is true for many of the staples in prehistoric times. When fruits became scarce for our last common ancestor, they came out of the trees to find new sources of food. Later on fire allowed for far more foods to be added to that list of new food sources, so instead of dying from hunger we managed to negate the dangers of fire to survive (or at least did our best). The impact cooking had on the human body is a book on its own, but the short of it is that we wouldn’t be the humans we know today if it wasn’t for fire. The other side is social. We needed to band together to negate the dangers of fire. Sitting in one place, with a bunch of food while making a massive signal of where you are. Dangers that would mean a single early human was almost sure to die from predators. But the strength of the many managed to lower that danger significantly. Big predators would no longer take us out, the fire would be big enough for more than one and gathering the food together would also ensure we could share and balance out good and bad days between each other. These two together form the basis of the cooking animal theory. We as humans may not be the strongest, toughest, smartest, or be the only ones to use tools. What really sets humans apart is their ability to cook. Another theory I need to mention here is the “Drunken Ape” theory. This theory starts out by assuming a lot of what we do (but specifically farming) has started out with the biological wish to be drunk more often. In the wild animals already manage to get drunk without cooking/food prep. Fruits that fall down from trees or bushes start fermenting naturally and get a low alcohol percentage. Chimpanzees are known to seek out these fruits when it is the season. Cooking or better said food preparation allows humans to not depend on the seasons and be drunk year round. Every culture around the world seems to have found a way to make their own alcohol. Even to this day alcoholic drinks are central for social gatherings and rituals around the world. Both theories share a simple truth: prepared food is central to our social interactions. We thrive and are shaped around cooking. Fire may be the greatest invention. But I dare to wager that cooking (on that fire) might be the next big thing. Cooking might be thrown around as a tedious task, a chore very few people want to do, and in many cases a waste of time that many companies would love to help you with. Where eating has been reduced to either a basic need that simply just needs to be fulfilled, pretty much like breathing. Or it has become an indulgence where only the best is good enough. But when we want to stay true to our primal being it is important to see cooking and eating for the rituals they are. Cooking is a primal connection, making it a ritual to bond over, a moment to socialize and a starting point to share your stories. So next time when you’re cooking a meal for your loved ones, take a moment to think back to our early ancestors. Those that shaped our biology and society and maybe just maybe take some of their rituals and make them work for you.

Ingredients: 100 grams unsalted butter, softened (XL. fat, S. sweet) 15 grams of fresh herbs finely chopped (Mixed sour, bitter and sharp) (rosemary, chives, and flat-leaf parsley) 2 cloves garlic, minced (XL. sharp) 1 tablespoon lemon juice (XL. sour) A pinch of cayenne pepper (XL. sharp) Salt and black pepper to taste (optional) (XL. salt, M. sharp) Instructions: Prepare the Ingredients: Allow the butter to soften at room temperature. Finely chop the fresh herbs (We advise a mix of rosemary, chives, and parsley) and mince the garlic cloves. Combine Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, chopped herbs, minced garlic, and cayenne pepper. Mix Thoroughly: Use a fork or a spatula to mix the ingredients thoroughly. Make sure the herbs and garlic are evenly distributed throughout the butter. Add Lemon Juice: Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the mixture. Adjust the amount to your taste preference. Seasoning: Taste the herb butter and add salt and black pepper if desired. Remember that if you're using salted butter, you may need less additional salt. Shape and Chill: Place the herb butter mixture on a sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Shape it into a log or another desired shape. Wrap and Refrigerate: Wrap the herb butter in parchment paper or plastic wrap, twisting the ends to seal it. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours to allow the flavours to meld. Serve: Once the herb butter is chilled and firm, slice it into rounds or use as desired. It can be served with bread, grilled meats, and vegetables, or use it in our recipe for flaky salmon with herbs. Don’t forget to share and enjoy.

If you haven’t read or heard the blog “Embodied experience and objective reality” yet, please do so first. The following will make little sense otherwise. The days are getting shorter and darker while I'm writing this. The weather has been shit for days, with storm warnings alternating with rain and cold. Sometimes they don’t even alternate. Everyone tries to stay inside as much as possible, and I can’t blame them. This simple fact also means that this is the time of isolation. People don’t just stay inside but also more often choose not to go out and be social. (Especially with the holidays in front of us where we all need to be social, but that’s a topic for later) Loneliness is an uncommon subject to talk about, but in these times one of the most important when we want to take our primal being into account. Humans need social contact, we are very social beings and without a society we would crumble. At the same time, we see more and more people struggling with that feeling of loneliness. The strangest thing about loneliness has to be that in objective reality it doesn’t really exist. Don’t get me wrong (before you run away) loneliness is definitely real, but objectively not quantifiable. When we need to “decide” when someone is lonely we can’t name the number of people someone needs as a minimum. Is one interaction a day enough? One person? Three, ten? A hundred? While some people thrive on a lesser amount of interactions per day, some need more. The introvert/extrovert scale we all know. At the same time, the feeling of loneliness can show up surrounded by a hundred people, whereas others feel no loneliness even if encountering no one for weeks. The only way we can “know” when someone is lonely is by “feeling” it. There are a lot of effects on the body when you feel lonely, your immune system changes for example. That we can measure, but it only gives us an insight into the effects, not the cause. It is highly important not to gloss over those effects. Babies can die when ignored for too long, loneliness increases the chances of many cancers and let’s not get into the indirect consequences of loneliness such as problems with mental health and alcohol. All this makes it very much a real thing. If you read or listened to the 104 this is exactly what was meant with realities not always matching. The feeling of loneliness is unfortunately exactly that, a feeling. And as such a very important truth in our personal embodied experience. A truth we don’t like to shine a light on. Because we all know what it feels like to be lonely. We recognise it in others and feel sorry for those that feel it. So what lessons can we draw from that simple recognition? You can’t think away loneliness. The reason we write about loneliness is to emphasize the need to accept the voice of the primal being here. The feeling is true for you, no matter how hard you fight it, think about it or try to downplay it. There is no intellectual way to think yourself out of loneliness. An embodied experience can only be fought by embodying the solution. Quality over quantity matters. We can’t name a number of random interactions with people to fight loneliness, because those numbers and contacts really don’t matter. Only a single truly meaningful interaction can drive away the feeling of loneliness for days or weeks. This makes it highly important for interactions to be meaningful, if they aren’t these moments may actually intensify the feeling of loneliness. An empty conversation at a bar may do more harm than actually being alone. Lonely people stay away from others. Nothing hurts more than trying to find a connection and failing miserably or worse getting pity. It may sound counterintuitive but the truth is that lonely people often keep themselves more isolated, to prevent the feeling from worsening. Starting a negative spiral. All of this is not to say there are no solutions. But it is important to realize these major three pitfalls before starting to fight loneliness, either for yourself or by helping someone else out. Here are our six best tips to put the above into practice and change the outcome. Be honest and open: A real meaningful connection can not be made if you are closed off. The danger of “rejection” is real. But staying lonely to be “safe” is also a useless argument. The danger of rejection is easily outweighed by the long-term dangers loneliness brings. At the same time, it’s important to also be honest with yourself. What are you really looking for in a connection? If you’re looking for a connection over games a dance club might not be the best place to start. Become comfortable in silence: Many people use connections to drown out the discomfort they feel when they are left alone with their own thoughts. When loneliness is a lack of meaningful connections, maybe make one with someone who is always there for you, at least as a start. Being your own best friend and being comfortable with your own presence really helps fight off a lot of the loneliness. Don’t compare: You can’t often see how meaningful a connection is from the outside. People who connect with a thousand people can still feel lonely, and a lot of famous people do exactly feel lonely because there is no connection in these interactions. When only one true connection can make all the difference, looking at others having hundreds of interactions is comparing apples to oranges. So, simply don’t, you never know what single connection can make the difference today. (It might be a dog on the metro) Move and get out(side): Making a meaningful connection isn’t always limited to speaking. When loneliness is embodied, the solution also should be. Moving together can be just as effective, or running errands together or sometimes just sitting around. Oftentimes simply being in the presence of someone or something can be enough to break that feeling of loneliness. And that someone or something doesn't even have to be human. Nature always has a way of creeping up on you when you least expect it. Dogs and cats can be great company and the most connected to life I’ve felt in a long time was alone on a mountain watching the wild waters pass by. (Quick side note: Never adopt any animal just to fill a void. They are living beings and deserve respect.) Make new connections: When the current objective reality doesn’t fit anymore, why not change it? If you have no one around to make a meaningful connection with, why not find someone? Through hobbies you are passionate about you can often meet people with the same passion. Don’t have a hobby yet? Get one. Take care of yourself: If everything else fails at least take this one tip. When you feel better, either by moving, sleeping, showering or eating better, you can take on more of the challenges this world has to offer. Fight loneliness one step at a time. First, make sure you feel good enough to get out into the world again. It might not be today or tomorrow, but the time will come when you feel better in your own skin again. When all else feels too far away, start with getting there. And if that doesn’t work? Consider therapy, there is no shame in getting help when you need it.

The Power of Not Thinking by Simon Roberts Why we should stop thinking and start trusting our bodies First Published: 2020 ISBN 9781788706643 What is the book about?: In The Power of Not Thinking Simon Roberts takes us on a journey through many of the ways our bodies learn without any conscious effort. Though the topic sounds very scientific this book manages to show in very relatable and sometimes surprising stories how smart our bodies are. The book dives into the (often mentioned on this website) brain-centric way society looks at learning. Through the pages however, it becomes more and more clear that disembodied learning is (almost?) impossible. Making the disregard most of society has for the intelligence of the embodied experience a crime to our primal being and as such ourselves. The book ends with a very inspiring practical look at what such an embodied experience could look like in everyday life. What are the main takeaways when it comes to communicating with the Primal Being? Our body is central to our experience: Without our physical presence, we wouldn’t be human. The body helps us to experience, make sense of and express ourselves within our world. A disembodied approach to understanding the world and life is impossible. Emotions are physical, not mental: We often wish to believe our emotions are simple states of our mind. Nothing is less true, an emotion wouldn’t be real if it didn’t have an effect on your entire being. F.e. anger without an increased heart rate doesn’t exist. We shouldn’t try to reduce emotions to just thoughts, we should accept it as more. Finishing each other's sentences: Empathy and mirror neurons create the phenomenon of a shared experience. When we finish each other's sentences we can do so because we “feel” each other. The same is true for the embodied experience, we can often “feel” ourselves wanting to finish someone else's movement and copy it. Regardless if that movement is a single breath, lifting something or kicking a ball. Imagination is training: If you imagine a movement the same parts of your brain function as if you were doing the movement. If you’re finishing someone else's movement in your mind, you are training yourself to move the same. The body/PB learns without our choice: The above two takeaways mean that we have a hard time choosing what physical lessons we are picking up in day-to-day life. We are constantly learning by experiencing others around us. Your surrounding matters: Because your primal being is always learning from the people surrounding you it is important to surround yourself with those people that teach you the right things, or at the very least make sure those that “teach” the wrong thing are not around. Empathy does not equal embodied experience: Empathy allows us to feel and understand what someone else is feeling. In many cases quite literally, we can feel the feelings that someone has at that moment. At the same time, it doesn’t equal having gone through the same embodied experience. You can feel and understand the sadness and fear war refugees have in them, but it will never be the same as experiencing war yourself. Gut feelings matter: Your body has a lot of intelligence in it, but very limited ways of expressing it. Gut feelings, intuition, muscle memory or an educated guess (or however else you want to call it) is the body's intelligence speaking up and showing how trustworthy it often can be. Our primal being helps us stay ahead of computers: Because of the embodied experience we can translate and transfer a lot of our intelligence to a point without rules or structured thinking. We can “feel” something is the right move. Computers as disembodied rational thinkers don’t stand a chance against us when it comes to experiencing and understanding the world. Maybe one day they could compete, but there is a huge chance that it has to become an “embodied” experience. Should you read it? Yes, though it is hard to make a book filled with intellect about an embodied experience Simon Roberts succeeds in exactly that. He manages to explain in a fun way how powerful the influence of our body is on our everyday lives. With how society has managed to disregard the body, this book can break a lot of the assumptions that are thought to us and really drive home exactly how important it is to acknowledge the value of our body (and as such the prial being)

Our kitchen is always well stocked, I always have preferred to have a couple of days' worth of food available, just in case something happens. When the pandemic was just a tiny spot on the horizon I already made sure to have a little extra available. Just before lockdowns started in the Netherlands I had enough food to be able to stay indoors for two to three weeks. When the toilet paper madness started and shelves became empty I chose to stay inside, refusing to be part of the collective losing of our minds. A full week I spoke to hardly anyone: Kim was stuck at the other end of the world, colleagues were busy surviving the madness and my door remained locked. After a week the chaos seemed to have settled down a bit, so I unlocked the front door and went out to get some food. Turns out I was wrong, never in my life have I regretted going shopping more than that day. I grabbed some of the little food that was left, unwanted stuff that many people don’t know what to do with, a feast for me. The self-checkout was almost empty and the fast-paced walk home made my entire expedition less than 20 minutes. The door was quickly locked behind me and didn’t open again for four more days. Looking back it’s interesting how strange that time was, how big the difference between what we “felt” as a society and how unrealistic that feeling actually was. Still, that feeling created the issue. Even though the danger of for example starvation wasn’t real, at the same time it definitely was. The shelves were empty, our pantry was dwindling, we couldn’t just eat what we felt like and food delivery was also suffering from the lockdowns. The initial response to the pandemic has to be one of the most beautiful examples of the collective distance between our embodied experience not matching objective reality. On a worldwide scale, we gave in to the very realistic warnings our primal beings were giving and chaos ensued. A simple but hopefully very effective reminder to keep an eye out on both your own very real embodied experience and objective reality. What works on a grand scale also works on a very small scale. The fact is that we can hardly make any distinction between our own “truth” and any objective truth. Interestingly enough our body and mind also care way more about our own perception of reality. It doesn’t matter what the facts are, when we feel different our entire primal being will accept those feelings over facts. Time and time again we find new proof of this. When you frown or smile your primal being just accepts that there is something going on that makes you irritated or happy and follows suit. Even if you frown to keep the sun out of your eyes or put on a fake smile to fit in. The results are very much real, you will get more irritated about the sun and will be more happy while fitting in. “Fake it till you make it” is very much real in these cases. But it doesn’t end with just our emotional state. The placebo effect is quite commonly known as a fake effect of treatment, often suggesting that those effects should be ignored. Interestingly enough we see a lot of positive effects when it comes to placebo. Studies show that even when people know they are getting a placebo, but also know that it will work because it “fools” the primal being, it still works. As long as you believe you are being treated, you become better. Or maybe more specifically, your primal being “feels” you are being treated so it follows suit. By now you might be thinking we are saying that objective reality isn’t important. This is absolutely not the case. We can’t live outside reality just because we feel like it. However, the current state of society tells us that ONLY objective reality matters. And we most certainly disagree with that, your own experience of reality is at least just as important. It doesn’t matter that the thermostat may say it’s warm when you feel cold. It doesn’t matter if your partner is toxic as hell when you still feel love. And it doesn’t matter if there is enough toilet paper for everyone, when everybody acts like there isn’t and starts hoarding, there will not be enough. No matter how far from objective reality our experience is, to you and your primal being it is more than real enough. Your own experience shapes your worldview and as such shapes your thoughts and behaviour. Even if the impact is only on a subconscious level, this fact impacts your day-to-day life. So let’s get real for a moment: both truths are valuable to you and deserve to be recognised as such. Even if you know you’re “overreacting”, “they didn’t mean it that way” or “you’re just being sensitive”, your reality is exactly that, your reality. However, that shouldn’t be the end of the conversation. As you should know by now from the previous stories, there is a balance to be had. A place where both truths can live side by side. They may not have meant to hurt you, and you may be overreacting, but you are still hurt nonetheless. And in those instances where both realities can’t live side by side? That’s where change is needed. Either by changing your experience or within objective reality.

Ingredients: 350g (about 12 ounces) farfalle pasta (M. sweet) 170g (about 6 ounces) chorizo sausage, sliced (L. sharp, M. umami, S. salt) 2 teaspoon dried rosemary (M. bitter, S. sharp) 1 teaspoon chili flakes (adjust preference) (XL. sharp) 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil (XL. fat) 2 large eggs (S. salty, S. umami) 15ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice (XL. sour) 80g (about 3 ounces) goat's yogurt (M. bitter, M. sour, S. umami) 2 handfuls arugula (rucola) (L. bitter) Salt and pepper, to taste (XL. salt, M. sharp.) Instructions: Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the farfalle pasta according to the package instructions until it's al dente. This usually takes about 8-10 minutes. Prepare the Chorizo Mixture: While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle dried rosemary and chili flakes in the oil and let it heat up until you can smell it. This should take about 1 minute. Add the sliced chorizo to the skillet and cook for about 5-6 minutes until it's crispy and slightly browned. Make the Carbonara Sauce: In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon juice, goat's yogurt, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix until well combined. Combine Everything: Drain the pasta and leave it in the pan. Add the cooked chorizo mixture (including any oil and spices in the skillet). Pour the egg and yogurt mixture over the pasta and toss or stir everything to coat. The residual heat from the pasta and chorizo should help to create a creamy sauce. If not, turn the heat on low to assist. Finish and Serve: Gently fold in the arugula (rucola) to the pasta. The heat from the pasta and chorizo will slightly wilt the arugula. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Serve the chorizo carbonara hot. Don’t forget to share and enjoy.

The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit Pairings, recipes and ideas for the creative cook First published: 2010 ISBN: 9780747599777 What is the book about? With the Flavour Thesaurus Niki Segnit takes us along on her quest to find all good flavour combinations in the world. By creating a flavour spectrum she discusses a wide variety of combinations as they are used around the world. All neatly organized in order on the spectrum, by ingredient and with cross references when the combination is already mentioned earlier in the book. (The Sage and Anchovy entry let’s you know where to find the Anchovy and Sage section earlier in the book) Containing about 800 combinations (I didn’t count them) there is something for every occasion. Even if just to help you at the start of a search for the right meal. What are the main takeaways when it comes to communicating with the Primal Being? Experience with flavour starts somewhere: A good chef has an extremely trained palette and a vast library of combinations in his head. They know what works and what doesn’t, making even their spontaneous creations a success. Most of us never get the chance to develop and refine these skills out in the wild, we don’t work in restaurants and have less access to certain ingredients. This book does not replace those skills, but it will fill in some of the gap. You don’t need to stick to the same old boring recipes: It feels safer to stick to what you know because it is so easy to mess up your food. With this book you get a great starting point to NOT mess up the new thing. Not everything will be a hit, but the combinations will always work, inviting you to go on an adventure and try something new. Intuitive eating is easier than you might think: Often we know sort of what we want, but at the same time don’t want the same (boring) recipe. Now you can start your search with a single ingredient and already get suggestions on what to pair it with. Often ending up with a good start for an online or cookbook search for that perfect recipe you are craving. Seven tastes are (freaking) easy to incorporate: Depending on how deep you already are in the Primal Beings food philosophy you may know the challenge of finding that one specific taste to combine with your current recipe. With the thesaurus this struggle is as good as over as you can get many suggestions on what to pair as the last taste. Should you read it? Definitely YES! This book has been probably the most influential book for our cooking style. With probably another hundred cookbooks in our arsenal that is saying something. The Flavour Thesaurus provided us with all the range we needed to listen more to our Primal Being. It gave us many tools to move closer to intuitive eating and cooking. So when you are looking for a book that may very well increase your joy in cooking, lets you follow your intuition more and simply point you to the best recipes, this is the book for you. Now even “more flavours”: Usually we would review a second book separately. But seeing Niki Segent has picked up where she left off with the sequel “more flavours” this turns into a two book review. The sequel is just as good as the initial Thesaurus. Now focussing on more plant-led combinations. Now adding even more combinations and therefore inspiration. Nothing more needs to be said about this sequel, as it continues upon everything already said.