Eat Pray Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

The reader may assume, because of the title Eat Pray Love, that the food consumed in Italy in Book 1 is the predominant food in the memoir. Yet, Liz feeds herself constantly for a full year on this personal journey of self-discovery: physically, spiritually, and intellectually. Her appetite is omnivorous.

Liz goes to Italy after losing 30 pounds during her divorce and broken affair. She eats and regains weight—food for the body. She constantly eats. She describes her first meal in Rome as “nothing much”: “Just some homemade pasta (spaghetti alla carbonara) with a side order of sauteed spinach and garlic” (39). This dismissive attitude reflects Liz’s mental and emotional state upon arriving in Italy, but as she travels, she becomes more engaged with the process of eating and soon begins seeking out the very best food that Italy has to offer. This food not only nourishes her body but also her soul, as enriching her physical self is the first step to attaining spiritual and intellectual enrichment.

The ashram in India feeds Liz’s spiritual quest with disciplined practices that eliminate “monkey mind” thoughts and release her to experience kundalini shakti and shaktipat.