I think for me, food was a way for me to deal with emotional trouble.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I think I was immediately fed, so food became a very important part of my life.
I used food as a coping mechanism for many, many years, and it was my best friend for a long time.
Food was always important in my family, but I didn't think of it as a vocation until a later point in life.
As an emotional eater, I eat to soothe.
For me, cooking is an extension of love.
Working with food was fraught with anxiety when I was a girl. Like all farmers, we were at the mercy of the weather, and we lived in fear of crop failure.
After I was really unhappy and unhealthy, I think it dawned on me to stop doing the unhappy, unhealthy things.
Going vegetarian - and then vegan - has calmed me down, and it has also made me physically and emotionally strong. I do crave meat once in a while, but I find that spiritually, non-vegetarian food works against my emotional health.
I liked the fact that I was forced to get inside of my emotions and to really try to figure out a lot of what I was going through.
The agony of my feelings allowed me no respite; no incident occurred from which my rage and misery could not extract its food.