Monday, December 3, 2012

A Transformative Act

A spicy sweet potato dish that I love to make.
I'd share it with you if you were here!


Well, a few of you brought up some food books you have recently read, are reading, or want to read soon, and I got all motivated to write a post because this is one of my favorite topics.

I love reading cookbooks and food books. I read food memoirs; books about global and local food issues; books about growing food; books about chefs and restaurants; books about the history of a particular food; books about fermenting and preserving foods.

Those of you who have been around me through the last few crazy years and various moves and kitchens I’ve inhabited know that, through it all, I’ve loved my cookbooks, my food, and my cooking. I used to have tall book shelves burgeoning with cookbooks, but it’s narrowed down now to three and half sad shelves. I needed to get rid of those books, but I truly miss some of them. Like old friends. That may sound a bit overstated to you, but not to me.

I think if I had to narrow down my hobbies and pick just one, it would come down to food. I have a blast reading about food and cooking and the whole world that revolves around it. I love learning about how cooking works, planning what I want to cook, and then actually doing it.

When I feel tired and drained, and I can’t read another word in a text or spend another moment in front of the computer screen, I will likely grab a cookbook and sit down to read through it. I’m not there to look at recipes only; I’m there to be transported to other places—other countries, other regions, other kitchens. And in that book, I spend time with someone else who loves doing what I love doing: knowing about food, knowing about cooking, and then doing it. And they love it so much that they had to share that love with me.

Food is one of our most fundamental needs, and it is one of our most beautiful, creative gifts. It is a gift from God to us and a gift we give to others. It brings families and friends together. Eating together routinely has such power that it keeps families closer, makes children better students and makes it far less likely that they will get into trouble or have a sense of being unmoored. Conversation over a meal is something that has many levels of impact for a lifetime, and when the meal is prepared with care and love, convivial alchemy seems to occur.

Do you think it is by happy accident that God made eating one of our fundamental needs and then gave it tremendous social and spiritual power? Have we not caught on to what God is doing when He brings us together at the table again and again? He didn’t command us to eat together with our families every night so that we will be blessed, but there is an intuitive wisdom in it, carried down through centuries and cultures of food and hospitality. Look at how the people of Israel were instructed to live regarding hospitality toward others. Sharing food is a fundamental act of love and compassion and goodwill. It is a profoundly spiritual act. We’ve lost our vision for what eating together can and should mean, in our homes and among our friends. It matters.

I’ve talked about it before, but I’ll say it again. My family (when my children were young) was part of a Friday night Bible study group. And every single Friday night, we had a potluck—a very low-key, relaxed potluck. We never made a food plan. People just brought what they wanted to bring (if they could), and we let it all fall together however things were, gave thanks, and had a memorable time of visiting and laughing over food before the study began.

We all believed that eating together created a spirit of friendship and openness, and we wanted to do that together routinely. We also knew that planning, meal themes, and assignments for what each one should bring added pressure to the affair, and we didn’t want that hanging over anyone. It wouldn’t be light and fun to have a food assignment every week.

Well, one night, my family showed up, and the teenagers were waiting on the front deck. “What did you bring?!” I laughed and said, “A little quiche?” They laughed back, “Everyone else brought dessert!” My family’s tiny quiche was the only main dish. So some of us joined together in the kitchen, laughing and joking heartily while we made tuna fish and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. There were leftovers in the fridge that got heated, and we pulled together this and that. But mostly, it was a dessert potluck. It was really funny and really fun. And unforgettable.

It doesn’t matter what you have except that you have a warm, generous spirit, and a sense of humor. Food can be too serious nowadays. Too perfectionistic. We are awed by the Marthas of the world and a bit intimidated by those who emulate her well. Oh, I love a well-cooked meal, but there’s absolutely nothing better than family or a group of friends who love each other and sit together to share whatever they have, even if it’s peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

I guess that’s what I get from the type of cookbooks that are my favorites. Besides the instructions on how to cook a certain type of cuisine or food really, really well, there’s another spirit that reigns over that one. And that is to drop the perfectionism and enjoy sharing food with others. It is such a fundamental act, and it can be truly transformative. God’s gifts are like that.

(Can you tell that this post started out going one direction and took on a life of its own, going entirely somewhere else? I just went with my stream of thoughts because the topic is important to me. And I'll talk about specific favorite food/cookbooks soon!)

14 comments:

  1. Your words always minister to me in so many ways. For the past few years I feel like I've started a new life with my children growing up and leaving home. I've also had to go back to work full time due to my husband's job situation. It's been an unsettling time, but also a time full of opportunities to learn and grow. You've helped open my eyes to that, and I'm so grateful!

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    1. Thank you, Beth. I'm glad. I know "unsettling," too, and it's just so good to know that God's way is steady and stable even when we feel anything but. He is our Rock, isn't He? Blessings to you.

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  2. Speaking of food....remember the sugared raspberry recipe you posted a long time ago? Well, mine are over a year and a half old now! It's crazy, they taste as fresh as the day I mixed them (even better)and I've been making raspberry scones the last two days, adding more of the fresh sugared raspberries after they are cooked! I love that recipe; thank you!! :-)
    I love looking at recipes and just making up my own. Your dish up there looks yummy! One cookbook I read for interest over and over is, "Nourishing Traditions." I find the information fascinating!
    I hope you have a good finals week! :-)
    Oh, and your decorating looks very pretty for Christmas!
    Lisa (greensgirl)

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    1. Hi Lisa! Oh, that is so *great* about your sugared raspberries. It's almost miraculous, isn't it? Amazing how fresh they taste. I like to read NT, too! My sister recently made rosemary walnuts from the book, and--oh my!--they were addicting! I follow the instructions for NT for soaking, fermenting, etc. (among other things!). Thanks for mentioning the raspberries--that is so cool, and I'm glad you tried them. :-)

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  3. Oh, thank you for sharing about your Bible Study potluck evenings! Our own small group was doing a potluck, once a month- but I recently called it off because I was too stressed about having to pull together a meal plan (and, also- hosting the meal in our small home.)
    I come from a very traditional family in that there was always a FULL homemade meal (meat, vegetables, fruit, bread, and dessert.) And while it's comfortable for me to cook that way for my family, most nights- it's overwhelming to plan that for so many.
    But- oh!--- there is such freedom in what you shared, Susan. That you can just bring WHATEVER and the whole idea isn't *what* you eat but *that* you eat; together.
    Thank you for your encouragement.

    (((love to you, sweet Susan!)))
    ~Stacy

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    1. Well, your constant provision of whole meals for your family is one of the things that adds up to what makes you so steady! :-) But, yes, it is good, too, to be able to let go sometimes when it comes to gatherings because they're way more *fun* when we do! I'm sure it's always relaxed and fun when you do these things, but I'm glad my post encouraged you. That makes me happy! :-) Love to you, too, Stacy!

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  4. ps: I just love you.
    And I'm so glad you're posting again.

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    1. Haha! I'll say it again, too! Just love you back, Stacy! I have always really liked your spirit and your way with your family. You are a gem. And I'm glad you are *reading* my posts! :-)

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  5. What a rich post! It all seems so true. I can't even picture myself curling up with a cookbook for fun, but I'll have to try it sometime now.

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    1. Willa, I just love to see you here! First, thank you! And you made me smile at the image of you curling up with a cookbook as an experiment: Will the effect of X (cookbook) on Y (Willa) result in fun?! :-) I hope so. But a tip: get a readable, literary cookbook. Just a book of recipes doesn't count. For example, Barefoot Contessa has amazing photos and recipes, but I dont' count her as a readable, transportative kind of cookbook. Gotta read Nigel Slater or MFK Fisher (if you don't like her, you might never find a correlation resulting in fun from X and Y. :-) I'm so glad you're around, Willa.

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  6. Ha, ha! That almost happened to Sarie's young adult church group this weekend. When they surveyed, everyone was bringing dessert! They figured their young metabolisms could all take it, but luckily one young man who wasn't on the Facebook group took it upon himself to bring three or four dishes, including some savories. Sarie left half of her rich chocolate bread pudding with the pastor ;-).

    I haven't been reading cookbooks as much lately. I've been a bit intimidated by the sheer superiority of Italian food and cooking. But I should move past this stage!

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    1. Funny story about Sarie's group! :-) (One young man was very industrious, wasn't he?!) Yes, you should move past that stage! :-) Because as you very well know, cooking is not a competition. If it was, I would feel quite a failure. You are in such a great place to learn new, amazing food-things!

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  7. Susan,
    Have you ever read Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar Capon? I love that book. If you've never read it, put it on your food/cooking booklist!

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    1. Yes, I have, Beth! It's a wonderful book. Thanks for the reminder. I used to have it on my shelves, but for some inexplicable reason, I seem to have gotten rid of it. Maybe I loaned it to someone, which usually means never seeing a book again. . . :-)

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