A reader message on doof and food

December 30, 2023 by Joshua
in Blog

A reader wrote with a message on doof. Or rather on enjoying food instead.

It resonated so much I asked permission to share it. Here it is:

Hi Josh

Season’s greetings! I hope you enjoyed a delicious, doof-free Christmas feast.

Some time ago I watched your TED talk “Don’t Call Doof Food” and was delighted to discover a fellow human being who truly loves the taste of genuine food. With the exception of the occasional tin of fish in olive oil, my husband and I have been buying only single-ingredient foods for about seven years. We have dispensed with condiments, sugars and flours and eat only wholefoods. The longer we’ve been consuming minimally processed food, the more flavoursome it becomes and the more we enjoy it. I find myself going into the same raptures over a serving of unadorned okra or cassava that most people would over pizza or ice cream!

Without exception, all our friends, acquaintances and family believe we’re engaging in a act of masochistic deprivation and are deriving some weird, twisted pleasure from our “ascetic” existence. Their pity reaches its peak during the Christmas season. I cannot for the life of me convince them that we enjoy our food far more than they do (guilt-free) and that we get the added benefit of it being cheaper, never craving second helpings or snacks, producing minimal rubbish and having splendid health as a result.

So it was with great pleasure that, on seeing your talk, I discovered that there is another person on this planet who has had a similar experience with giving up doof!

Kind regards

Di Brooks

Kununurra, Western Australia


The email made me smile. Just today after lunch I couldn’t help say out loud, “I love my food!” I say something like that almost every day. Don’t you like saying how good something tastes? Isn’t it hard not to say how delicious something tastes? When you eat like I do (for example, What I ate in the last 24 hours, August 2023) I find it hard not to.

I responded:

Hi Di,

Wonderful to hear from you! Thank you for taking the initiative to write. Your email was timely: the other day I was stopped in my tracks just eating a slice of cucumber, from its sweetness and nuance. Even after a decade of discovering flavors I couldn’t sense when consuming doof, I still discover flavors. I enjoy the discoveries more when I can share them with someone who appreciates and experiences them too.

I share your experience of people missing the wonder and abundance of my life (and I’m not just talking about my mom ;)). People call me extreme all the time. I think: extremely liberated! Extremely fun! I wish I were more effective in helping people see beyond their addictions. Still, I’m making progress. Have you seen the video with people who did my workshops? It’s happening.

I wonder: would you mind if I posted your email to my blog? I can’t help wanting to share it. If so, I’m happy to credit you, link to you, or keep you anonymous, as you like.

Josh

Here’s my TEDx talk on doof:

Read my weekly newsletter

On initiative, leadership, the environment, and burpees

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

Leave a Reply

Sign up for my weekly newsletter