Over the years one develops treasured relationships, this story tells one of them. What makes a meaningful friendship? Truthfulness, equanimity and generosity.

ONE WARMS UP TO PEOPLE whose intentions are always clear and whose attachments and aversions are recognisable. Good virtues are important; we gravitate to friends who practice generosity.

This short feature on mindful eating is a disclosure that is related to generosity. True friends give you plenty of chances to give and to receive. In one of our sessions, I asked my friend Maia Franco for permission to write about food that she typically serves for brunch after our morning Taiji practices.

Taiji is among our preferred fun activities. However, on other occasions I would also visit Maia to help her formulate essential oil products, give Reiki healing sessions, understand homeopathy and, at one point, learn to play the Shinobue Japanese flute. Contemplating about these meetings, I realize that what keeps me going back to see Maia is her sincerity and quiet truthfulness.

Maia maintained a vegetarian diet for a few years in the mid 1980’s when she started to practice yoga. However, she shifted to a pescatarian diet to increase her protein intake. These days, she maintains a healthy lifestyle by including a lot of plant-based food in her diet. She also prefers home-cooked meals to regulate the choice of ingredients and ensure the quality of her food.

The home-cooked meals featured in these pages are from Maia’s kitchen; they are among this vegetarian’s favourites. Entering her home during our most recent session, I noticed a geisha painting by national artist, Benedicto Cabrera at her foyer.

This image was welcoming and gave guests a glimpse of the simple but impeccably detailed experience of Maia’s generosity and friendship.

Brunch started off with freshly-squeezed orange and lemon juice plus a slice of sweet watermelon served in a Villroy & Boch limited-edition lotus plate. Next came steam-baked spinach and asparagus topped with organic eggs. Completing the meal was Kourabiedes, a traditional Christmas almond butter biscuit that Maia flavoured with rose water and topped with a speck of clove.

This Greek cookie texturally and aromatically complemented the Bicerin, a traditional Torino hot beverage with distinct layers of espresso, hot chocolate and whipped milk. This simple but well-balanced meal exemplified Maia’s generosity.

Generosity, mentioned earlier as one of the three aspects of a meaningful friendship, is often misconceived. Generosity is the best way to establish good affinities as well as the most skillful means to inspire others to become better human beings. There is equality in giving and receiving; however, due to existing cultural and social paradigms, most people believe that the role of the giver is superior to that of the receiver. However, if you ask yourself this question: can one give without a receiver, and can one receive without a giver? You will comprehend that a giver can only express big-heartedness if there is a receiver. And that a receiver can only practice heartfelt thankfulness if there is a giver. Thus, you can not practice one without the other; both are necessary components. That is the parity of giving and receiving.

In significant friendships, giving and receiving are mutually practiced. For example, when I guide Maia through some important movements and principles of Taiji, I am giving her my time and sharing my experience. Maia receives information that helps her deepen and improve her practice. In reciprocation, Maia serves thoughtfully prepared vegetarian fare, providing nourishment that one cherishes and accepts with gratitude.

This establishes the equality in giving and receiving, the foundation of meaningful and long-lasting friendships.