This evening, I had the pleasure of catching "How to Cook Your Life" on the Sundance Channel. It's a documentary made in 2007 about a zen priest/cookbook author who uses zen buddhism and cooking to relate to everyday life. This story appealed to me primarily because I believe there is something very zen about handling and preparing food. I've also studied buddhism on an academic and personal level, so my interest is always piqued when food and zen are combined.

Edward Espe Brown became the head cook at the Tassajara Mountain Centre in California when he was in his early 20s, and has been practicing the art of zen buddhism and cooking for more than 40 years since then. His cookbook, , was originally published in 1970 and quickly became "the" book on bread baking.

The documentary is more about everyday life than it is about bread, although bread is certainly a part of the film. Filmmaker Doris Dörrie weaves interviews and footage of Brown to explain the guiding principles of zen buddhism as they apply to the preparation of food as well as life itself.

The film, divided in sixteen chapters, deals with the gamut of human emotional and circumstances, from 'anger' to 'sincerity.' In each, Brown recalls his early relationship with food, beginning when he first realized at age 10 that there was a difference between store-bought white bread and the homemade stuff. This documentary is great "food" for thought for any of you who might be interested in new ways of thinking about food.

You can watch a preview on the film's website or catch it on the Sundance Channel on Wednesday, December 16 or Sunday, December 20 (check your local listings or the Sundance Channel website for airtimes).