Ram Dass visits Camden Market to try a Yorkshire burrito he has been anticipating for two weeks. Upon tasting it, he discovers the delightful surprise of horseradish sauce, moving from initial skepticism to genuine appreciation. The brief encounter illustrates how presence and openness to sensory experience can transform an ordinary food moment into something magical.
What Brings Him to Camden Market?
Ram Dass arrives at Camden Market with specific anticipation—he has been looking forward to trying a Yorkshire burrito for about two weeks. This is not a casual food encounter but one he has consciously planned and held in mind, suggesting a quality of deliberate engagement with sensory experience. The two-week window of anticipation itself reflects a certain approach to life: not rushing through meals, but allowing curiosity and interest to build.
The Unexpected Question About Sauce
At the point of purchase, Ram Dass receives an unexpected question: "Would you like sauce on this?" His response is immediate and affirmative—"yes of course"—but his follow-up comment reveals genuine curiosity: "what are you talking about?" He is not familiar with what sauce is being offered, yet he says yes. This reflects an openness to surprise and an assumption that the vendor's recommendation is worth exploring. Rather than defaulting to what he knows, he remains open to what the experience might offer.
How Does the First Taste Register?
When Ram Dass takes his first bite, his initial response is striking in its honesty: "oh it's not good." But the moment does not end there. Immediately after, his assessment shifts: "oh it is good." He is asked to repeat himself, and his clarification is emphatic: "no it's amazing." This rapid reversal from skepticism to amazement is not hyperbole but a genuine recalibration of his sensory perception. The burrito, it appears, reveals itself more fully upon contact than his expectations had prepared him for.
What Makes the Horseradish Sauce Delectable?
The key revelation is the horseradish sauce. Ram Dass identifies it specifically and describes it twice, using slightly different language each time: first "delightful," then "delectable." The repetition suggests that he is savoring both the taste and his own language for it—a kind of precision that reflects genuine presence. Horseradish is a sharp, pungent flavor, not subtle or mild. Its intensity appears to have surprised him, and in that surprise lies the delight. The sauce is not merely good; it carries a quality he experiences as both surprising and deeply satisfying.
What Does This Moment Reveal About Sensory Presence?
The arc of this encounter—from anticipation through skepticism to amazed appreciation—illustrates a principle central to contemplative practice: the relationship between expectation and direct experience. Ram Dass arrives with two weeks of anticipation, which shapes his readiness. But he does not arrive with rigid ideas about what the food should taste like. When asked about the sauce, he says yes without knowing what it is. And when his first impression conflicts with his second, he does not defend the first impression; he revises it openly.
This quality of responsiveness—being willing to be surprised, to change one's mind, to discover that something initially judged as "not good" is actually "amazing"—reflects a form of presence. He is not eating on autopilot or through a filter of preconceived opinions. He is actually tasting it, moment by moment, allowing the flavor to land and register. The horseradish sauce, with its sharp and distinctive character, demands attention. You cannot eat it mindlessly.
Where to Go From Here
This brief video offers a small but genuine example of what presence might look like in an everyday context. Food—ordinary, accessible, repeated daily—is an ideal ground for noticing the difference between eating mechanically and eating with awareness. The Yorkshire burrito at Camden Market is not inherently spiritual. But the quality of attention Ram Dass brings to it—the openness to surprise, the willingness to revise judgment, the capacity to savor both the taste and the language for it—shows how any moment can become an opportunity for wakefulness. The next time you eat something unexpected, you might notice whether you approach it with the same openness, or whether you let first impressions stand unchallenged. The horseradish sauce is delectable; so is the moment of discovering it.
