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The Spiritual Nature of Food
Food... What is it and what is it for?
Well the obvious answer, of course, is sustenance. Fuel. It is not just fuel for the body, however, but for the mind and for the soul. Food is at the heart of the relationship of mother and child. Of family. Food helps us stay grounded and connected to the greater spirit.
Being one who lives with a disability and a fixed income food has become even more centric in my life. Nearly every weekend family gathers around our small kitchen and table in our apartment. We laugh and joke, sometimes cry, and we eat. It doesn't matter that we're not all "blood relatives" we're all family.
At times it is something as simple as soup, other times it is more complex, even becoming a feast on special occasions like Thanksgiving with the traditional meal and all the trimmings. Nearly everything we eat is cooked from scratch.
The primary ingredient to any meal shared with others is love. While I enjoy cooking I also enjoy others' cooking and I enjoy, also, the occasional bite out at a restaurant.
Given my disability and concerns over my partner's health we have learned to cook "well" -- being mindful of nutritional needs, do's and don'ts -- and yet making a tasty and satisfying meal.
Even in my support group we have food each time we meet. Sometimes nothing more than PB&J other times more complex including themed and unthemed potlucks.
Different regions of the country have different "dialects" of food. In New England there is more seafood oriented cuisine while in the south you have things like grits and greens, barbecue, cornbread and black-eyed peas. The southwest is famous for Latin American influence. New York has a culinary culture all its own and is known around the world. San Francisco is well known for it's Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown and North Beach Italian cuisine (and let us not forget Ghiradeli chocolate!) Texas is well known for their particular mixture of foods and flavors, as is New Orleans is famous for Cajun food. The list is practically endless.
Here in Seattle the northwest influence on food is as diverse and fascinating as the people who live here: Mexican and Latin American, Scandinavian, Middle-Eastern and Indian, Asian. From lutefisk to sushi to curry to tacos to lasagna and more!
Seattle is also known for its coffee. Along with coffee are many varieties and styles of pastry to go along with it. (Yesterday at a seafood festival we took shelter from the rain in a cafe and found the most delightful and unique cupcakes. A shop that is devoted to cupcakes would never have occurred to me!)
It's easy to get lost in the Epicurean trappings of food but when you get down to the fundamentals it is an important way we share our hearts and souls with the people we live with, work with, or simple share time with. At our primal core we find food to be the centerpiece of family and friends.
What better way to say "I love you" is there than to share a meal with friends?
Disclaimer: As I discuss Wicca as a religion on this site I describe the Wiccan religion with respect to my personal viewpoint, or, perhaps my "tradition". Different traditions describe things differently and those traditions may hold different concepts, beliefs and codes.