Breaking bread with your friends is one of the simplest, most satisfying pleasures of life, along with sharing a spliff of some lovingly homegrown herb. And one of the great things about cannabis is that it really does alter your perception of time, heighten your senses, and open you up to a newfound appreciation of the earthly delights all around us. We live in such an era of both scarcity and abundance, and when we’re blessed enough to experience abundance—of food, of ganja, of friendship and good times—it’s important to remember to be thankful, and cannabis reminds us of our duty to savor, to enjoy, and to be grateful for the moment.
In fact, this cannabis-inspired mind-set makes a great match for the philosophy behind “slow food,” which promotes the pleasures of high-quality, flavorful ingredients and the art of traditional cooking techniques. When in the kitchen under the influence, let cannabis guide you to mindfulness, and soon the “chores” of chopping vegetables and washing dishes will become meditative. Forget fast food and microwavable meals in favor of helping to revive the art of the dinner party with a cannabis twist. The green-themed menu items in this chapter practically guarantee some interesting dinner conversation, and you should plan a fun game or activity for after the meal to keep things going until it all wears off. Or maybe just get everybody really into washing the dishes …