vi a servi ce - Finavia

22 V I A HELSINKI
Feast the eye,
feed the soul
Mediaeval illustrations show black demons fleeing the
mouths of the healed, while golden threads are said to bind
the mouths of poets to heaven. Food and the mouth are closely
associated with each other and to spirituality. We eat our
food and breathe through the mouth, which also generates the
speech by which we communicate. They also say the mouth
speaks what fills the heart.
Many artists are convinced that man is not purely a physical
being but also a spiritual one. For them, a beautiful environment,
music, the visual arts, literature, poetry or a walk
in the garden or in the wilds seem to satisfy a different kind
of hunger than a physical one. A person who craves food for
the soul or what is pleasant to the eye will waste from within
exactly as if they were to starve.
Yet a sudden overdose of beauty can make you just as sick
as an eating binge will, as Italian psychiatrist Graziella Magherini
noticed in her work in Florence. Foreign tourists often
arrived at her practice complaining of similar symptoms;
nausea, palpitations and confusion.
She realised their symptoms stemmed from an exceptionally
intense art-related experience, from art-induced ecstasy,
a kind of extreme reaction to an aesthetic experience. She diagnosed
the condition unofficially as Stendhal syndrome, referring
to the French author Stendhal (1783–1842, real name
Marie-Henri Beyle), who described similar symptoms in his
work Rome, Naples et Florence. In 1979, the sickness was diagnosed
as psychosomatic.
Huxley too, became convinced that man, aware that he is
not seeing the full picture, tries to reach towards it. Besides
edible food, we need food for the soul and a feast for the eye.
He believed art, religion, carnivals, dance and prayer served
as doors in an enclosing wall. We try to pass through these
doors to extend our consciousness beyond the enclosing wall
– and thus see more of reality.
numerous encyclopaedias and websites have been used for information in
this feature, including the Spectrum series, CD-Fakta and wikipedia, among
others. other references: J. krishnamurti and david bohm: The Ending of
Time, anthony de Mello: Awakening, Meister eckhart: The depths of the soul.
The World on a Plate
Helsinki Airport offers a plethora of tasty delights for
peckish travellers, whether you’re in a terminal or on the
plane. At this intersection of food cultures you’re sure
to find something to satisfy you, whatever your taste or
mood.
AT THE AiRPORT…
…light snacks are on offer at Bar Delight (gate 14), Café
Picnic (terMinal 2) and Café Tuuli (gate 27), where you
can also buy food to take away. take-away fare is also available
from Picnic Take Away (terMinal 2/arriVals 2a)
and Go! Café (gate 20 and terMinal 1).
finnish cuisine is provided by Café Alvar A (gate 24),
decorated in the style of architect Alvar Aalto, and Seasons
restaurant & Café (gate 14).
savour a full-course meal at My City Helsinki (gate 35),
amid decor that draws from finnish nature and design, and
Fly Inn restaurant & Deli (gate 27), commanding views of
the runway.
it is worth stopping at Cesar’s Pizza & Food Court (terMinal
2) for a buffet meal or at breakfast time. Coffee Spoon
(check-in area of terMinal 2), is the place for snacks,
soups and salads.
in THE AiR…
…the conditions may be tricky and there are limited options,
so meal planning becomes important. Planning depends on
the route. “the length of the flight determines the arrangements,”
explains Maarit Örn, head of Product development
at finnair catering, which is responsible for supplying meals
to many other companies besides finnair. on long-haul
flights, the meals on the return journey are sourced from the
destination country to guarantee their freshness.
the dishes are also selected on the basis of the route.
they must appeal to as many people as possible.
“our current theme is nordic cuisine, but we also take
account of the food culture of the destination countries,”
Maarit notes.
she says the scandinavian theme is apparent in the simplicity
of the meals and in their ingredients. salmon, reindeer,
chanterelles and finnish cheeses and berries are much
in evidence, though other national tastes are also taken into
account. for example, Japanese passengers are offered
white fish, and indians are always offered vegetables as a
choice of main course.
the caterers also take ideas from asia for european
flights, because eastern food is enjoyed right around the
world.