Take time for a meal
Life asks a lot of us. Work, love and plans for the future all bring questions to work through. In looking elsewhere for answers, we sometimes lose touch with how we feel right now.
Food Tarot uses the small ritual of drawing a card to help you notice what you need in the moment. It also invites you to spend a little more time over a meal, taking in its warmth, aroma and texture. Giving your food your full attention can be a first step toward taking your own feelings seriously.
In Eat Pray Love, the main character rediscovers simple pleasures through food during her time in Italy. Elizabeth Gilbert, who wrote the memoir behind the film, describes the Italian part of her journey as an exploration of pleasure. For us, it is a reminder that getting to know yourself can begin with something ordinary: preparing a meal, sitting down to enjoy it and noticing how you feel.
A slice of toast, a bowl of warm soup, and a cup of teh tarik are all worth taking time to savor. You can make something yourself or find a place to try it. The meal need not be complicated.
How to draw a card
Open Food Tarot, drag the Tarot Train and choose a plate to reveal a card. You do not need to know the tarot meanings beforehand; you can start with the dish in front of you.
Each card is paired with a dish. When you reveal it, you will see a food illustration, a scene inspired by the associated region, and a story and reading to go with the dish. Each reading introduces the food before explaining how it relates to the card.
The key ingredients and recipe overview give you an idea of how the dish is made. When you want to cook, follow the “Full recipe” link to the source website for quantities and detailed instructions. References for the food’s background appear alongside the relevant text.
Tarot & Food
At Tarot42, we choose a dish for each card based on its meaning. How the food is made, what it looks like and the feelings it evokes all inform the pairing.
For example, the Fool encourages small steps into something new. We paired it with Catalan tomato bread, which takes only a few ingredients. Make one slice, taste whether the tomato is sweet enough and the garlic is just right, then decide how you would like to make the next. Even a small experiment can lead to a new discovery.
Strength is about gentleness and resolve. Its dish is braised lion’s head meatballs. The meat mixture needs to be worked until it holds together, then gently shaped into balls and slowly braised. Effort and patience are equally important.
The pairing of Temperance and Malaysian teh tarik centers on balance. Pouring the tea back and forth between two cups recalls the flowing water on the card. The ratio of tea to condensed milk also needs adjusting; tasting helps you find the proportions you prefer.
These pairings are Tarot42’s creative choices. Through flavors both familiar and new, we hope to make the card meanings easier to understand and offer some inspiration for your next meal.