At the very early beginnings of my career I was still finding out what my vocation was. Let alone my WHY!? My father once taught me that if you cannot determin your calling as is, then start by striking or defining what you don’t like. Consequently, I think it was during my 3rd job I found what my calling was; food!
See one of my previous posts.
How I grew up
As a young kid in the early 80s (born in 1977), beside playing sports outside, I spent hours and hours in the kitchen watching my mum cook the tastiest thinkable dishes. My mum is a true self-taught chef. She does not necessarily need a recipe to put a Michelin-worthy meal on the table. Maybe a little exaggerated, but still. Therefore, she often ‘practiced’ her courses on weekdays if we had guests over for the following weekend. As a result, we rarely had the standard Dutch meal under our nose. For those who are unfamiliar, a typical Dutch meal consists of meat plus cooked potatoes & veggies. Our dishes looked very different almost every week, which is not easy. Above all, ‘where there’s a will there’s a way’.
Cooking is fun
In hindsight it is interesting to see how our food behaviour we were once taught is now applied in our daily life. The common denominator is that cooking is fun, especially if you know where the food originates from. ‘The more colours the better’, while combining both micro- and macro-nutrients (carbs, fats & protein) as much as possible.
‘Food’ as a career
In the early stages of my ‘food career’, dating back to the mid 2000s, I realized that not only had I found my passion. And also, I learned that food is insensitive to the business cycle. And what I mean to say is that, we will always (have to) consume food. So you can’t do without! Certain consumption behaviour might shift or fade over time. But be aware that your taste perception changes throughout your different life stages. In addition, you might even gradually transition from one protein source to the other (animal- to plant-). Although I realize that I speak with a ‘Westerner’ mouth, because I’m able to make multiple food choices. Many people have only very poor food choices in our country, even close to home, having to rely on food banks. So let that sink in for a while, there are always people worse off than you! This value is truly embedded in our mission statement on our homepage [‘Enabling people around the globe to get equal access to tasty & nutritious foods, balancing the equation of animal vs. plant protein intake’].
The future is plant-based
The title of this blog ‘the future is plant-based’ sounds rather bold, but I believe there is a lot of truth in there. In all honesty, when I think about it I believe that I can call myself ‘part-time vegan’. This may sound silly to some of you, but I can say that my diet is 80% plant-based (vs 20% animal protein – either from cheese, fish or meat). It makes me feel good both physically & mentally, knowing that I contribute to a more sustainable and healthier way of life every single day. An old Dutch ad proclaimed: ‘A better world, starts with you’. All that matters is that I feel good at doing what I do, knowing that my behaviour also leads to a more sustainable planet. That’s how the knife cuts both ways!