Zen Dining

On a side note, I am working on a companion site to Black Lotus Sect - a food and recipe site. I want to have a separate site, so as not to change or confuse the focus of this site.
Food of course is a popular topic and subject with me, and I love writing about it. Food is a very zen thing because it is basic to life. The "tenzo" or cook at a Zen monastery is one of the most important jobs or positions.
Ōryōki  literally means "Just enough" and is a meditative form of eating that originated in Japan that emphasizes mindfulness awareness practice by abiding to a strict order of precise movements. It is based around three bowls.
The "zen" way of eating is also known as Shojin Ryori. This is a type of cooking commonly practiced by Buddhist monks in Japan.
In days past, shojin originally meant zeal in progressing amongst the path of enlightenment or pursuing a state of mind free of worldly thoughts and attachment. In this way, the act of preparing shojin ryori is an essential practice of Buddhism that expresses one’s devotion to religious discipline.
It is worth stating that Black Lotus Sect is not strictly Buddhist, and hence not strictly vegetarian - nevertheless the practice itself of care and mindfulness with food and its preparation is well worthy of study, consideration and contemplation and adaptation as not only a spiritual practice, but as a very practical matter.