This Is a Very Good Strawberry

From the editor of Lion’s Roar, a gentle, approachable guide to integrating mindfulness and compassion into our relationship with food

There is a classic Zen story: A man falls off a cliff while running from a tiger. Before hitting the ground, he catches on a branch, but there are mice gnawing at it, and it’s clear the branch will soon break. Suddenly the man notices a strawberry growing in a crevice on the cliff. In the face of certain death, he reaches out, picks the fruit, and pops it into his mouth. “This,” he says to himself, “is a very good strawberry.”

How might your life--and eating--change if you were fully present in each moment? In this immersive guide, longtime Buddhist practitioner Andrea Miller explores how to find joy and meaning in food. Through interviews, recipes, examinations of ancient Buddhist text, and philosophical musings, Miller shares delicious and surprisingly simple methods for incorporating mindfulness into every meal. A vegetable garden becomes a lesson in impermanence, while grocery shopping offers an opportunity to practice loving-kindness and discover the interconnectedness of all things. Under Miller’s gentle guidance, even washing the dishes becomes a moment of calm and gratitude.

In the tradition of Sharon Salzberg and Thích Nhất Hạnh, This Is a Very Good Strawberry translates traditional Buddhist wisdom into everyday practice. With grace and compassion, Miller shares easy ways to bring mindfulness to our daily lives--and shows that feeding ourselves and others just might be the path to inner peace.