Feng Shui & the Grill
By DeAnna Radaj
Bante Design LLC
www.bantedesign.com
“The fiery chi energy of a BBQ, mixed with the freshness of nature, makes a perfect way to bring your friends and family together in a fun, informal setting. The fire encourages people to be outgoing and expressive, and being outside promotes a wonderful feeling of freedom.”-by Steven Saunders from his book, “Feng Shui Food,”
Ahhhhhh, the smells of a fired-up grill…wafting smells of charcoal in the air…the sizzle of cooking food…mmmmmmm… You think all is well and right in the world…but could it be even better? Why yes it can! You can apply Feng Shui principles to your choice of grills to enhance your BBQ-ing even more! Oh the joy…
The type of grill you use can actually “influence” the energy of the food you are cooking. A METAL grill is the most “yang” or active energy, which will focus and contain the most heat. An EARTH grill (brick oven, stone BBQ) is more “yin” and helps to diffuse heat. (When using stone and/or brick oven, build into a 3-sided oven and use a metal grate over the top to use the productive cycle of elements (EARTH supports METAL). The most “yin” style of grill is a hollow in the ground w/a grate across the top. This provides a gentle heat to cook food.
Alright, you’ve got the grill, but now what should you use to cook with? According to Steven Saunders, WOOD is the best for a “light yin style of cooking” with wood ash being the best. Charcoal burns hotter than wood, making it more yang. AND since charcoal holds heat longer, it’s the perfect choice when cooking for a large group of people.
***Great grilling foods are fish, portabella mushrooms and kabobs for different menu options besides burgers and hot dogs. ***
But DeAnna, you say, I don’t want to BBQ…what about a nice picnic lunch? In utilizing Feng Shui principles for a picnic, it’s all about location, location, location…Choosing a spot in the country will help you feel more relaxed or “yin”. A picnic in an urban park setting will be more “yang”.
***Even Mother Nature adds to the excitement! A strong sun-shiny day will be much more active, energetic and yang, than an overcast or partly cloudy day. Wind=yang energy, while clouds/rain=yin. ***
Remember that the earliest school of thought in Feng Shui is the Form School. This takes into account land formations surrounding your space. Well, you can employ some of these principles when choosing your picnic location. A mountain setting is a yang environment w/a strong vertical energy flow. The higher and rockier the terrain, the more yang & stimulating the picnic will be. Flat lowlands, prairies/grasslands (think driving through Nebraska) have a more yin or horizontal energy flow. This is ideal for social gatherings, parties and even intimate picnics for 2. A water source nearby also adds to the energy of the ambience you are trying to create. Sea water is more yang than fresh water (an ocean is more “active” than a lake or pond).
Since its July and the height of summer, lets discuss how to use Feng Shui to throw a 4
th of July party. Lots of FIRE energy going on this time of year! For this type of party, look to the SUCCESS/FAME Life Area of the Bagua (the FAR CENTER of any space). This area is activated by the color RED, the FIRE element and the shape of a TRIANGLE. To bring about the fire element into this party, think fireworks, candles, grills and sparklers. (This is pretty easy!). You want to create lots of energy for an event in this Life Area, so the lighter the better. You can bring the fire element into your flower arrangements as well by using brightly colored or contrasting colors and/or flowers with pointy leaves placed in triangular, pyramid or star shaped vases. This will create a visually stimulating centerpiece and give the sense of more energy in the space. Placing the flowers on mirrors will also help to “add excitement” and also help to create more light as the mirrors will reflect the light back up into the space.
Your place settings for an event like should be brightly colored and in unusual shapes-they don’t necessarily have to be identical either. (Napkins, placemats, glasses, flatware and plates are considered place settings). If you are the type of host that needs some sense of semblance on a buffet table (like me!), you can use placemats (other fabric, mirrors, trays) to help group food.
The shape of this area is the triangle. This doesn’t mean you have to find triangular plates and the like, but you can group things in “3s”-like the 3 points of a triangle/pyramid. You can offer 3 types of drinks (soda, beer, and water), salads (lettuce, taco and 7 layer)…you get the idea. As stated before, you can also use STARS as a symbol of SUCCESS/FAME-how applicable for this party (I told you this was easy!).
Menu ideas that would use Feng Shui principles include food that is RED, SPICY, HOT food with STRONG flavors. Think cilantro, peppers (any kind), shrimp, garlic or any red fruit are some examples. For drinks, anything that “stimulates” works (i.e. has caffeine). Coffee, soda, tea, sake, whiskey or brandy are examples of this. Red wine, red sangria or beer will also work.
Sample food items for your 4
th of July party:
v Fried jumbo shrimp (or any other fried food)
v Stir-fried vegetables
v Fresh vegetables
v Any RED or GREEN fruit
v Any meat or fish for the grill
v Shish kabobs
v Chips and salsa
v Avocado dip
v Asparagus
v Watermelon
v Any food made from animal products-ice cream, cheese, honey, yogurt
Now that you know some of the basics for using Feng Shui outside, AND how you can apply it to menu choices and party decorations, you can be guaranteed a Fabulous 4
th !
DeAnna Radaj is the owner of Bante Design LLC, an integrative lifestyle
design company, which fuses Eastern and Western design/lifestyle
philosophies. She is a nationally recognized speaker on healthy home
design, color therapy/theory, psychology of clutter for adults and
children, and a variety of business topics for the individual, small
business owner and entrepreneur. Visit the Bante Design Web site for a
list of all workshops and appearances at www.bantedesign.com.
