Hospitality: Food

I like to watch cooking competition shows a lot. It's really funny when the hosts interview ethnic chefs because they tend to make statements like, "I grew up in an Italian family, so we love food." Or, "I'm Latino, so we like food." Hey, a little secret, all cultures like food!

Food is a social catalyst. It starts chain-reactions. Have you ever been to a party or a gathering where there is no food? Yeah, you kept wishing you could leave. Once the food came, though, people started opening up and talking. It's not a fix-all to social awkwardness, but food is just an amazing tool to help conversations get going.

For many of us, this is a natural thought, and you're wondering why I am even posting on this. For others, however, food is a utility and isn't understood to be necessary for social interactions.

For those of us who follow Jesus, let me remind you of something. 1 Corinthians 11 reminds us that when we come together, we are to eat and drink to the remembrance of what Jesus did for us. We even have mentions of these meals called "love feasts" in the New Testament. Some people might think these are orgies, but they aren't. They are feasts to celebrate the common bond of Christ-followers and the sacrifice and victory of Jesus.

If food is essential to the family bond of those who follow Jesus, how much more is food essential to forge relationships with those who don't have that strong bond that we share?

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When planning to eat with someone, find out if they have any preferences, allergies or cultural restrictions.

Pro Tip: Don't invite a good Muslim or Jew out for pork. It's against their religion. Jewish Kosher law can be a little confusing to understand, so consult your friend with your proposed menu to find out if it's acceptable. 

Some Hindus will not eat meat at all, and some will eat chicken/shrimp. Vegetarian with Hindus will never be the wrong choice, but still consult with your friend before finalizing the menu. Offshoots of Hinduism, like Jainism or Buddhism tend to produce more vegetarians as well.

If I went into all of the diets of the world, your head would explode. So, the simple rule is, make sure your friends can eat your menu before making the food.

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Eating also comes with a clean-up chore afterwards. Americans tend to help each other out cleaning-up, but this is not the case with all cultures. In fact, I know some of my foreign friends are actually offended when I try to help with the dishes or clean-up. When I don't think about this phenomenon, they don't understand that helping is how I feel involved socially. When I don't let them clean up without me, it offends them because I'm not accepting their hospitality.

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Religious word of the day: Eucharist. Also known as the Lord's supper, communion, taking of the elements, etc. As explained in the post, it is a vital meal wherein we bond with fellow followers of Jesus as we remember Him. Most traditionally this is done with wine and bread without yeast. 

However, other denominations of Christianity express it in different ways, with grapejuice and regular bread or other foods and drinks as culturally appropriate. This is mostly ritualistic, but I have a strong opinion that it should be a family meal wherein we share the amazing victory of the Lord in our lives and share our gratitude to our Savior as often as we possibly can.

The history of communion goes back to when Jesus shared the Passover meal with his Apostles before he was crucified. The Passover was a Jewish feast commemorating when the Lord had freed the people of Israel from slavery, but destroyed the first-born Egyptians by a plague. This plague passed the Israelites over if they had painted lamb's blood on the doorposts of their house.

The lamb's blood in Jesus' Passover meal was his own, so that the plague of sin would be defeated once and for all. Consequently, His people are free from sin because of his death and resurrection. The wine represents his blood, and the bread represents his body. By taking communion we unite in common union (comm-union) to remember the great and loving sacrifice of Jesus for us.