Conscious Choice: Feed the Belly, Calm the Mind

January 2008 | Local Food

Feed the Belly, Calm the Mind

Silence-Heart-Nest’s vegetarian fare soothes the soul

Lately, I’ve been trying to depend less and less on meat in my daily diet. Part economics, part health and part social consciousness, I have begun to slowly add vegetarian meals to my repertoire. My new love for all things veggie recently led me to the pretty blue doorstep of Silence-Heart-Nest in Fremont.

As I opened the front door, I ran smack into a woman wearing a blue sari with a thick long braid, carrying two full buckets of veggie scraps outside. “Ah, compost,” I thought to myself. I knew that I was walking into a mindful cafe. Once inside, it is easy to see that this mindfulness extends well beyond ecology. The sari that everyone wears (dishwasher included) is emblematic of the staff’s dedication to the spiritual teachings of Sri Chinmoy, a spiritual guide who entered the Sri Aurobindo Ashram community in Pondicherry, South India, at the age of twelve and spent the next twenty years in spiritual practice. Although Sri Chinmoy recently passed away, his spirit continues to live on, particularly within the four walls of this cafe. The Silence-Heart-Nest name was taken from a poem that he penned and the restaurant’s business cards, along with the usual contact details, have inspiring messages written by Sri Chinmoy.

While Silence-Heart-Nest was very busy and running a wait when I came in to eat, but the staff was calm and moved slowly with purpose. It was clear to me that I was in the presence of people who meditate. Everyone was smiling and seemed genuinely pleased to be there.

Crossing the sparkly blue floor and taking in the blue painted walls, I sat down at one of several blue counter stools. Blue is thought to be a cool and calming color and it works here.

I came for breakfast and had a hard time making up my mind. There are Texas Eggs ($8.50) served with fresh chives, a variety of omelets served with sweet potato biscuits (or your choice of toast) ($8.50) and an entire section of the menu is dedicated solely to waffles and pancakes — multigrain, vanilla or sesame. I was intrigued. Even though every dish is vegetarian, there are “meat” options —soy bacon and sausage —on the menu. Settling on the Texas Eggs, the daily special of Huevos Rancheros ($8.95) and one single sesame waffle ($2.95), I sipped my Yogi Tea ($2.50) — a caffeine-free Chai with honey and milk — and watched people pray on an overhead television while I waited.

All of the food that I ate for breakfast brought me joy, partly due to good energy and partly due to good food. The Texas Eggs are a bowl of seasoned black beans topped with one range-free scrambled egg and fresh chopped green onion and tomato. On the side, I had the sweet potato biscuits and I couldn’t help but smother them with the freezer jam on the counter. Everything was simple and satisfying. The sesame waffle was sweetly nutty — a great idea for waffle batter that I will likely copy at home.

Not only does breakfast taste great, but it is healthy. I mean really healthy. It’s not full of butter. The eggs were not cooked in a grease-laden pan. The beans have no extra fat or lard in them. Silence-Heart-Nest makes every effort to use fresh and organic ingredients when possible.
This clean, healthy eating beckoned me back. I returned the very next day for lunch and tried again the day after that but they were closed (note — the cafe is closed on Tuesday!). I became obsessed.

Since my first visit, I have plopped myself down at a table for lunch and left pleased every time. My current favorite, the Curry Platter ($8.50), has brown basmati rice (fantastically plain), spinach curry (made with frozen spinach, which is unfortunate although still tasty), a bowl of red lentil dal soup (great) and a small ramekin of tamarind-raisin chutney (both sweet and spicy).

When I sit down to eat at Silence-Heart-Nest, I can’t help but feel good. I order more politely, forgive the occasional not-so-fresh tasting coffee and smile when my order arrives somewhat botched. It’s an easy pace here and time seems to slow. The small nuisances throughout the day don’t seem to matter as much when I walk out the front door, either. Not only is Silence-Heart-Nest good for my stomach, it’s good for my soul.

Amy Pennington is a food writer on a mission to influence the meat eaters in her life to go a little veg, starting with her pig-loving father.

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