Little Thai sits right across from the parking lot where Sandy Springs Farmers Market is located. That’s where we went for dinner this week.
I am no connoisseur on Thai food but it feels like all Thai food, well most of it, that I have sampled tastes the same. Some curries are sweet while some are spicy, and most dishes feature the same set of vegetables namely carrots, sweet peas, broccoli, baby corn, red peppers, potatoes. Scan the menu of any Thai restaurant and you’ll see the same names – Red Curry, Yellow Curry, Green Curry, Penang Curry, Massaman Curry, Pad Thai, Basil Noodles and so on. I love that the curries are choc-a-full of vegetables, I like the fresh flavors. But I do wonder if I am missing anything. And I don’t mean the meat, you know that.
Little Thai was no exception.
It is a cheerful space, tastefully decorated and casual. The servers were really nice and made us comfortable, stroller et al. We ordered an assortment of appetizers – Tom Yum Goong Soup (huge bowl, lots of vegetables, nicely spiced), Larb (lettuce leaves with a side salad of tofu, red onions, cilantro, lime juice) and Thai Roti (similar to Roti Canai – Malaysian paraantha served with curry that was a tad too sweet and lacked the fire).
On to entrees… Basil Noodles, Massaman Curry and Pad Prik.
We had asked for medium spice levels although I thought all entrees were a tad spicy. Nothing to complain really except that the flavors didn’t really jump out at me. Decent food, many vegetarian options, lots of vegetables, friendly staff- good stuff, hmmm.
For dessert, we got banana dumplings served with vanilla ice cream. As usual, P griped about it (he always does!) but dug his spoon in to the mound of ice cream eagerly when it came.
Would I go to Little Thai again? Sure, why not. Maybe we will sample other dishes on the menu and hopefully have a more unique experience. I know the pictures are fiery red but the light was poor, so I couldn’t take regular pictures! Apologies…
Little Thai Cuisine 220 Sandy Springs Circle, Suite 209 Sandy Springs, GA 30328 404-943-9189
At this point, it is good to explain what the three Gunas are. As always, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar does a great job of that. So here’s a video where he details what the three Gunas are, what the specific characteristics of each Guna are, and how they affect the mind and body.
Now let me explain what I understand by it. Sattva is characterized by simplicity, harmony, innocence, joy. How do you feel after playing with a child? So light, so playful… that’s Sattva. Walking by the ocean, trekking in the mountains, gardening – the feeling that arises as one goes about these activities is pure Sattva. Contrasting with the simple joy of Sattva is the restless drive of Rajas. The innate nature of Rajas is restlessness, ambition, anger, greed. Think of it as the energy that drives us to do, to accomplish, to gain. Then there is Tamas, characterized by dullness, delusion, slumber, sloth. Quite the polar opposite of Rajas, I think.
It is important to understand that each Guna is essential in its own unique way. If not for Rajas, we would not stir to do our duties, go out and earn money, get out in the world. If not for Tamas, we would not ever take a break or fall asleep. As much as we would like to remain in the Saatvic state of mind/body, Tamas and Rajas are equally important for the system. Life is a graceful dance of the three Gunas and these qualities surround us wherever we go. They are in the places we frequent, the people we interact with, the activities we engage in, and last but not least, the food we consume.
Canned food, stale food, processed food, excessively vinegary foods, etc. come under the category of Tamasic foods. They induce dullness, lethargy, sleep. Meat also counts as Tamasic. Food that is overly spiced, greasy and/or pungent is what goes as Rajasic food. Saatvic food is light, flavorful, nutritious, nourishing and easy on the digestive system. This is the kind of food that brings up the life force in us, keeps the awareness high, leaves the body nourished and mind alert. Think green salads, fresh fruits and juices, steamed/lightly sauteed vegetables, etc.
These are basic guidelines but it is not difficult to figure out what foods fall in what category.
Back to the question raised in the earlier post about ridding the system of cravings… Meat induces Tamas. It is not simple to digest i.e. considerable energy is required by the body to digest meat. Meaning meat may help in building muscle but the body expends a lot of energy simply in assimilating it into the system. Not to mention the toxins generated in the process of digesting meat that also have to be expelled. No wonder that meat is classified as Tamasic. But all this is useless info for the individual who enjoys the taste of meat, for the one who has happy memories associated with it. How does this person work his/her way to a meatless diet?
Simple. By raising the Sattva in life.
Face it, all of us would like to lead simple, healthy and joyful lives. However, we tend to get drawn into the busy-ness and restlessness and ambition of the world. I suppose the world today is largely Rajasic in nature. We seem to be moving in the direction to gain, to buy, to accomplish, to do something. Obviously, this constant restlessness results in total fatigue and exhaustion, then slumber – that’s Tamas. Where and how does one find his/her way to Sattva? Meditation is the start of it. As we meditate on a regular basis, we are able to raise the level of Sattva not only in our individual mind/body but also in the surrounding environment. As we become more Saatvic in and around ourselves, we begin to move in the direction of more Sattva. This reflects in all decisions and activities be it work, play, fun, hobbies and food. Ask any spiritual practitioner if they see a shift in their life’s focus after they began their practices. It is inevitable, a natural consequence of the Sattva rising.
As we move towards Sattva, we begin to choose foods that are harmonious and life supporting. We start moving away from foods that don’t support our life force. None of this is deliberate, it is simply the body selecting what it knows as best for its growth and the mind acceding to the wish of the body instead of the other way around. With time, more and more Sattva enters our life, enriching it in every way possible. There is more simplicity, greater harmony, more energy, joy and enthusiasm. And love.
Meditate. Find a teacher, join a class, practise regularly. It is a start and as comically simple as it may sound, it can make all the difference in your life.
“What is patriotism but the love of the food one ate as a child?”
― Yutang Lin
Food is so closely linked with our strongest and most intimate memories that it becomes difficult to separate one from the other. Whatever part of our lives we remember and reminisce about, there is at least one of the five sensory perceptions associated with it. The food we ate growing up, the music we heard during our teenage years, the movies we watched with college buddies and so on… Probably that sensory perception is what actually creates the memories, makes them clearer and more than just another imaginary haze in our head. In a certain sense, giving up a certain food, especially if it is an old favorite, feels like severing off a certain section of our very life. If I were to give up cornflakes, how ever would I remember my childhood days without sadness?
I think that is one of the reasons people who wish to give up meat find it very difficult to do so despite their best intentions. It would not be an exaggeration to say that, in the United States and in many other cultures as well, meat is an integral part of the diet. Childhood snacks, Thanksgiving meals, birthday treats, date nights… take any occasion, memorable or not, and if it involves food, it most likely included meat. It has just been that way for people who grew up in these cultures.
The problem is when the intellect clashes with the heart. At an intellectual level, people know the facts about animal cruelty, factory farming, hormone-ridden meat, etc. and probably understand that eschewing meat products is in their best interest, health-wise as well as ethics-wise. But how does one get that intellectual understanding to reconcile with the heart’s desire for the foods it is fond of?
I know of people who managed to get their hearts to listen to their heads and turned vegetarian. They were able to turn away from the intense pull of their fondest food memories. Hats off to them! But it isn’t easy. It requires much will and a determination almost bordering on stubbornness.
So what is the alternative?
What if the craving for meat reduces and then disappears? This means that there is no head-heart conflict. When desire vanishes, what is to miss and mourn? Alright, so how to get the craving to reduce/disappear? It is doable. Will write about it next.
