Concepts, Learning and Taking Risks

On the first day of the Art of Living course, the teacher spoke about three types of listening. I wont describe them here (in case some of the readers haven't done the course, I dont want to spoil their surprise for when they do do the course :D) but one thing that stayed with me from the discussion was that in order to learn something new, we have, to a large extent, to let go of previously constructed concepts. Put in a different way, in order to gain a new experience or insight (for example, in the kitchen), one has to be willing to experiment and take "risks". Taking risks entails going against what is popularly considered the "normal" or even "correct" way of being or of doing things. It also means that one is ready to face criticism for ending up with something that is at best "not as per expectations" or at worse, a complete disaster.

In an attempt to follow a Satvik Ayurvedic diet (which is supposed to, inter alia, support better health and deeper meditations), I stopped using onions and garlic in my cooking several years ago. (I always hated garlic, so it was not much of a sacrifice :P) Many of my family members and guests however love garlic (and onion). While I was doing my teacher training course in Bangalore in 2004, someone mentioned that in order to get a garlicy flavor, (without using garlic) one has to mix hing (asafoetida) and grated ginger. I imagined immediately that this might indeed taste at least a bit like garlic. This was 7 years ago. I never mustered up the courage to actually try this because most of my family dislikes either asafoetida or ginger or both.

Just a couple of week ago, I was making hummus for my sister and mom (who were visiting from India) and for my husband (all of them love hummus and love garlic). As many of you may know, garlic is an important ingredient of hummus. I was considering whether or not to use garlic, when I remembered this combination I'd heard of long ago. For several minutes, I hesitated... should I or should I not try it? My sis hates ginger and my hubby dislikes asafoetida... Finally, I remembered my last post (of being too worried about consequences and praise) and decided to go ahead and take the risk :)

Indeed, the hummus tasted pretty good (not exactly the same I must admit, but it was much better than it tasted when I didnt use garlic and as a bonus for me who hates garlic, it tasted a lot better than "normal" hummus.) What made me really happy however was that my sister didnt notice (or atleast didnt complain about) the ginger and my husband didnt notice the asafoetida (till I told him :D) and they both enjoyed the hummus as usual :) What ever be the consequences, at least I wont look back at my life and regret not trying to see how the hummus would have tasted if I had used hing and ginger as a substitute for garlic. :D

I've been thinking about my resistance to trying new things and taking risks a lot these past few days... It is such a wonder to me that I don't challenge my own concepts of what will work and what wont (i.e. I should challenge them at least from time to time if not all the time!) Imagine if all the great scientists of the world refused to go beyond the accepted norms of what is possible and what is not. How would the frontiers of science ever expand? Indeed, it is by thinking different from the ordinary and challenging the "norms" and accepted limits of science that scientists like Einstein were able to expand human understanding of so many of the secrets of science.

I've heard large successful corporations take many risks and incur several losses in the process. But one experiment going right is often enough to make good all the losses from failed experiments. I've even heard people say that failures (following an experiment or taking a risk) are actually successes in disguise... others more commonly also say that failures are stepping stones to success. Why then are we (or atleast why am I) so afraid of taking risks and trying new things?

So here's to taking risks, being open to new (unknown) things and enjoying the consequences!

PS: I still feel that if I can hit the correct proportion (by trial and error), I can indeed make the combination of ginger and hing taste like garlic - will keep you posted! In the mean time, if any of my readers have any experience with this, please let us know!

Todays risky recipe: Homemade Hummus without Garlic :D

Ingredients:
1.5 cups chickpeas (Kabuli chana) - soaked overnight or even for 24 hours
Juice of 1 large lemon
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 inch piece grated ginger
1/4 tsp asafoetida (Hing powder)
Salt to taste
1/3 cup water (you can use less or more depending on how thick you like your hummus to be)

Method:
Pressure cook the chickpeas till they are really soft. Drain off all the excess water (leaving aside 1/3 or more cup to be used if the hummus is too thick after adding in all the other ingredients)

In a food processor or powerful blender, make a paste of the cooked chickpeas. Add all the other ingredients and once again, blend till a smooth paste is formed. Add the water (if needed) to make it thinner or to reach the desired consistency.