Lotta Frutta

"From food are made all bodies, which become

Food again for others after their death.

Food is the most important of all things

For the body; therefore it is the best

Medicine for all the body's ailments.

They who look upon food as the Lord's gift 

Shall never lack life's physical comforts.

From food are made all bodies.  All bodies

Feed on food, and it feeds on all bodies.  

The physical sheath is made up of food.

Within it is contained the vital sheath,

Which has the same form, with prana as head,

Vyana as right arm, apana as left,

Space as heart, and earth as foundation."

~Taittiriya Upanishad

I love these verses from the Taittiriya Upanishad.  I came across these words last night while reading, and they moved me.  We are all conected by the maha prana, which we must care for and nourish.  First and foremost, we must always nourish ourselves physically before we can grow spiritually, and this is a reminder of that.  It is also a reminder of how all creatures need physical nourishment through food to survive.  When serving others, our family members, friends, small children, we must always serve them food with tender love and care, for we are serving the Self, we are serving that which connects all of us.  

...

Speaking of feeding others, we were fortunate enough to have my mother come stay with us last week and one of my goals during her stay was to expose her to as many of our favorite treats around Atlanta as, possible.  One of our best loved sandwich/smoothie restaurants is a little shop in the Old Fourth Ward district, a stone's throw away from the King Memorial and MLK's old childhood home.  Lotta Frutta is owned by Myrna Perez-Cifuentes.  Originally from McAllen, Texas (a small town in south Texas just north of the border with Mexico), Perez-Cifuentes is a passionate "fruitologist" who instills Mexican, Central American, and South American flavors into her delicious menu.  From juicy guanabanas to florally sweet Andean blackberries to the South American lulo (a "cousin" of the kiwi), all of Lotta Frutta's smoothies are made from scratch with the freshest, finest ingredients around.  While their menu isn't large (they only offer four sandwiches on their lunch menu), each and every food item they offer is absolutely delectable.  My personal favorites include the LottaMora smoothie (a fruity blend of Andean blackberries, strawberries, milk, and banana) and the Just Veggin', a panini-style sandwich with havarti cheese, slices of avocado, cucumber, and tomato, and fresh alfalfa sprouts.  Oh!  And I can't forget the Queso Quartet, which is exactly what it sounds like -- a panini with four types of gooey cheeses and slices of tomato, sandwiched in between pieces of grilled, crunchy, Latin bread (it's unclear what kind, though -- I'll have to ask the next time I'm there).  The Fresa Fetastic, an entree-sized salad, can also hit the spot, and contains sliced strawberries, grapes, hummus, and feta cheese atop fresh greens.  And last, but not least of course, I can't forget the house-made chulpas, or Ecuadorian-style toasted corn kernels.  Paired with a sandwich and a creamy, cool fruit smoothie, this salty snack is extremely addictive.  It is said that they provided Incan warriors with energy during trying times.  

One thing I have been meaning to try, but haven't gotten a chance to order yet, is their house-made vegan ice cream (available in guanabana, passion fruit, lulo, and Andean blackberry) and paletas (fruit-based ice pops -- available in limon, chocolate, horchata, and pineapple). 

One more thing, though -- if you're in a rush to eat, don't go to Lotta Frutta.  Word has gotten out that they have the best smoothies in town (okay, so I'm a bit biased), so their lines can be quite long, and they make everything to order.  They work extremely efficiently, though, and trust me -- the food is worth. the. wait.