In addition, cooking or food preparation techniques will also affect the expansiveness or contractiveness of foods( see above). These techniques are used not only to make food more palatable and easier to digest, but also to bring the extremes closer to center and harmonize different foods with the seasons. For example, a thick bean soup simmered a long time with carrots and onions has a more contractive effect than a cold bean salad with grated raw carrots, scallions, and parsley; with the same basic ingredients you can prepare a wintery, warming dish and a summery, cooling dish, changing only the mode of preparation and a few flavoring ingredients. When all these variables are taken into account, cooking becomes a truly fascinating endeavor. You can also affect your level of activity and your mental state by following this concept. Note, for that, the following: