It's News To Me

Food, our family's new frontier.

Growing up food was something that was strictly functional, a means to an end. Being the youngest of 7 and now the mother of two, I understand why it played such a role in my home while growing up. However, increasingly I've desired more (and I don't mean calories). What am I experiencing when it comes to food? It seems to me that we've become a society of busy bees and have allowed important aspects of our culture to slowly fade away. When it comes to our food we want it quick, easy, and no mess (I understand that; I'm a mom of two boys). But when we choose those things what is ultimately the outcome, an unhealthy, disconnected, and (probably) wasteful family? As I write this I definitely would not exclude myself from those possible outcomes.

If you were to ask, "Who is the cook in your family?" my answer is always, "Barry of course." I would not call myself a cook. Maybe a food warmer or food burner in training, but not a cook (at least not the Martha Stewart type). But I've got to say there is something to a great meal, the look, smell, and taste. Did I just say that? Isn't food supposed to be only functional. Ok, I digress. Over the last several months I've recognized that there was real joy in cooking. The idea that I could create something strictly to please someone else and see it as a service to that person was a complete turn around in my thinking. I love the idea of service through food (now I need to remember that when my 4 yr old whines and complains about what is on his plate).

Where I buy my food, does that matter? One of my very favorite places to shop is Trader Joes. (If your from Texas and your reading this you won't have any idea what I'm talking about.) Trader Joes is a small grocery store (when I say small, I mean small-maybe 8 aisles) that sells primarily organic foods. I love this store because of its small town feel (the kind of place "where everyone knows your name"). I guess they knew there were people like myself out there-in search of that "locally owned" small town experience. Well, unfortunately Trader Joes is not locally owned; it originates somewhere on the east coast. However that leads me to my next point, locally owned or produced. I love the idea (you see that I use that a lot, I'm working on these ideals) of knowing the farmer. I still think there is something noble about being a farmer. I can't imagine how many spiritual lessons one learns when farming. As Americans we have a disconnect when it comes to our food. It either magically appears on our tables or in the enormous chain grocery stores. After my husband's urging I started reading, Crunchy Cons by Rod Dreher. It seems like a good book with well thought out ideas. The chapter that caught my attention was on food. In this chapter he highlights a farmer by the name of Robert Hutchins, an organic livestock farmer who lives with his wife and 12 kids (oh my goodness!) near Greenville, Tx. I immediately was struck by this farmers story, a CEO turned organic farmer. He left the business world to pursue what he felt was his "calling". According to Hutchins, "..we look at it(organic farming) as honoring God's creation and restoring it to its fullest." He also added as evangelical Christians,"we try to align our lives with what we understand from Scripture would be a God-honoring lifestyle." This was extremely exciting to me, someone who was serving others for the sake of serving and honoring God. I love this idea and hope that our family can connect on this level. (By the way, we'll probably be making that Trader Joe run in next couple of days, but I guess you've got to start somewhere, a move from the big chain to the small chain) For those from the DFW area, the Hutchins farm is Texas Supernatural Meats and can be found at the Dallas Farmers Market.

I love to sit down an eat dinner with my family. To some people this may seem like pure misery and chaos(and many nights that's what it is for us) but we try to persist. A few months ago I attended a women's retreat and the speaker for the weekend was Mimi Wilson. Mimi served with her husband as missionaries for nine years in Ecuador. She did a fantastic job of reminding us or even teaching us the importance of the "table" in the home. For her dinner was a time to reconnect, have a healthy meal, and tune out the rest of the world. Not only was it a time to reconnect with family but also friends. I love the idea of friends and family gathering around a table, eating good food, and having good conversation (Barry if your reading this, my birthday is right around the corner, so a big table would be great.). Sitting around the table is something new for our generation, but it's something that certainly should not be lost. One of my husband's fondest memories was the time he shared with his grandparents on their farm. His grandparents and there close friends would spend time around a table telling old family stories that he now loves to quote. Our son Will loves to hear "old" stories and can't seem to get enough and he also likes to try and start a little of his own conversation during dinner. Our hope is to continue our time around the table. Staying connected to our family and friends in the present and our family from the past is something very important to us.

When I think of food I'm beginning to see it so differently now. It is something that can be used to serve and honor God.