Some of our most precious memories are entwined with food. I remember exactly where I was, and who I was with, when I first ate a smoked oyster at the age of six. The shock and awe of my first chilli crab at a Singapore hawker stall; red-faced and gasping for beer. The feeling of bitter resentment when I tried my first hot salt-beef sandwich at Carrolls in Great Windmill Street, London, because nobody had told me about it until then.

Sometimes the memory is more of a quiet acknowledgement – yes, the pasta carbonara at Roscioli in Rome is the best I’ve ever had – and sometimes it’s more kid-in-the-playground delight, like trying to eat live shrimp in Denmark while they did their best to jump out of my grasp.

These are flavours and emotions I’ll never forget. Or will I? Sometimes I walk into the next room and come to a halt, not knowing what I went in to get. I run into people I’ve known for years and have to fish for a clue to their names. If I don’t write a list of what’s needed at the supermarket, I have to ring home once I get there to be reminded – if I haven’t forgotten to take my phone with me.

Luckily, there’s a lot of information out there about the type of foods that can boost cognitive function and improve memory. Most of them are already on my shopping list: from leafy greens, olive oil and wholegrains to poultry, tuna, salmon and sardines. Ditto blueberries, nuts and seeds, eggs, avocados, sourdough bread and dark chocolate. No doubt all those omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, proteins and complex carbohydrates will keep me jogging along, but there’s more to this story.

The stuff we do before and after eating is just as vital for our brains. The shopping and chopping keep us on our feet, helping us to remain physically active. Talking about food improves memory and maintains (if we’re not too boring) social connections. And by the time we’ve done the dishes and put everything away, we’ll sleep like a top.

But I reckon it’s challenging the mind and introducing new ideas in the quest to come up with something interesting for dinner that’s the most valuable. And that’s because we don’t just need to remember: we need food that’s worth remembering.

theemptyplate@goodweekend.com.au