It takes a village

According to my friend Arletty, a raw foodie Curaçao-Parisienne, there are 100,000 raw foodies in the entire world. This is not a large number, yet simply being able to count the size of this community points to the growing interest in consuming a living, plant-based diet. The Paris raw food community parallels the global dynamic--it is small and growing.

As with any diet and lifestyle choice, the reasons for choosing a raw food diet vary. For me, one of the reasons is I love food, and I love experimenting with food -- I was curious to make a raw lasagna. Second, I was also curious to see if the health benefits were really as life-changing and profound as raw food advocates claimed. Last year I did a 30 day raw challenge with support from Alissa Cohen's Raw Food Talk Forum. For anyone considering going raw, this is a great place to start.  The changes in my energy level, mental clarity, and skin were incredible. And finally, I believe that as individuals, each time we consume, we have the power to choose the economic and world order we want to see manifested. And a raw food diet does not support today's mainstream agro-business.

I think the desire for better health and greater vitality is probably the key factors that attract people to a raw food diet. And then the delicious variety of food keeps them hooked. Perhaps this is why Arletty organizes cru potluck (raw potlucks) in Paris.

Last week, we gathered together near the Seine on the eve of Bastille Day to share homemade raw goodies, and the food and conversation was so inspiring the next day I made raw pizza bread.  Check out my pizza marinara made with a raw basil/oregano/flax seed/almond flour crust, raw marinara sauce, and fresh basil from my balcony garden. Yum!

I am not 100% raw right now and when I travel, I tend to migrate back to cooked foods. But since our cru potluck, I have once again started experimenting with raw recipes such as zucchini-etti with raw alfredo sauce (cashews, fennel, shallots, lemon juice, and garlic) and banana carob pudding (banana, coconut oil, carob powder, cinnamon and lucuma). The joy that comes from eating raw food always raises the question as to why I choose not to eat it 100%. But that's another question for another post.

When I look at the pictures from the cru potluck, the saying: It takes a village to raise a child, pops into my mind. In this particular analogy, the village is the child -- 100k strong and growing. Tomorrow night I have been invited to a ladies night with a group of women I do not know very well. I am inspired to bring a raw dessert -- a combination of this raw almond cookie and cacao walnut cookie recipe with my own twist -- and spread the raw food vitality to a new community. I am amazed at how joyful I feel to do so. A year ago I was tentative to discuss raw food as I often felt as though I had to defend my choice, and being on the defensive is never enjoyable. I no longer feel the need to explain myself. The food will speak for itself.