Food cultures · OrienX Journal
The first bowl, in the spirit of Zen
From the Zen temple meal to a plant-based breakfast prepared with care.
In the morning, oats slowly thicken in the pan. A sliced pear and a few walnuts give breakfast its shape. In Zen, preparing and eating a meal also belong to practice. OrienX draws from this an intention to bring home: give the first meal of the day a little time and care.
Zen begins in the kitchen, too
In thirteenth-century China, Dōgen sees an elderly tenzo drying mushrooms in the fierce sun. Concerned for the monk responsible for meals, he suggests getting help and resting. The old man insists on carrying out the task before him. Their encounter reveals to Dōgen the spiritual significance of kitchen work.
In this tradition passed from Chinese Chan to Japanese Zen, practice takes a form the hands can carry out: cleaning grain, watching the cooking, completing the meal. Thinking of the person who will eat it gives these ordinary tasks a concrete purpose.
In Sōtō Zen temples, the morning meal is based on rice porridge. The Five Contemplations invite diners to consider the work that made the meal possible, reflect on greed, and remember that eating sustains life. This simplicity becomes a way of attending to the body's needs.
A plant-based morning in Europe
In a French kitchen, this intention can take the form of oat porridge. Readily available oats, unsweetened soya drink, a seasonal pear and a few walnuts make an entirely plant-based breakfast. The soft grain, juicy fruit and crunchy nuts each remain distinct. A few ingredients are enough to bring different sensations to the meal.
For one person, start with 40 g of oats, 200–250 ml of unsweetened soya drink, half a pear and 10 g of unsalted walnuts. Cook the oats and soya drink gently for around 5–8 minutes, following the packet instructions and adjusting the consistency. Arrange the pear slices on top, or add them during cooking to soften. Finish with the walnuts. Adjust the quantities to your appetite that day.
French dietary guidance also encourages fruit, unsalted nuts and home-cooked meals. Here, the tradition nurtures attention to the meal; the plant ingredients make up what we actually eat. Together, they become a simple habit that can be repeated and enjoyed.
Making room for self-care
We serve this breakfast in Dawn · Flared Bowl. Its opening of around 18 cm leaves room to arrange pear and walnuts over the porridge. Its moderate depth accommodates grain and liquid, with space to stir and take a spoonful. Its 650 ml is a measure of capacity; the portion remains a choice based on needs and appetite.
The beige-grey matt surface and slightly irregular rim leave the oats, pear and walnuts clearly visible. A familiar bowl can hold an intention for the morning: whatever the day brings, take time to prepare this meal for yourself. This reading of Zen adds a cultural dimension to that moment at the table.
Before picking up the bowl, look at the ingredients and think of the hands that prepared them. Serve the amount you need. Give the first few mouthfuls your full attention. OrienX proposes these three gestures for a morning today. The porridge will be eaten and the bowl washed. The next morning, returning to the same bowl gives the intention of caring for yourself a familiar form.
Tomorrow, the fruit may change or the porridge be thicker. Picking up the same bowl brings back familiar gestures: prepare, serve, sit down to eat. Making the first bowl a beginning you enjoy repeating gives this intention a place in everyday life.
Cultural references: Sōtō Zen: the tenzo and practice in the present; the morning meal and Zen customs; the Five Contemplations. Contemporary dietary guidance: Manger Bouger, Santé publique France. The oat porridge and three morning gestures are a contemporary interpretation proposed by OrienX.
