April 03, 2008

the nasty bits

Understand, when you eat meat, that something did die. You have an obligation to value it - not just the sirloin but also all those wonderful tough little bits.
- Anthony Bourdain

The sermon calls to me this morning. The lectionary reading is about having dinner with Jesus. There are about a million ways that I can run with this idea. And that is not a good thing. I must focus (grasshopper). So, I am thinking about the nasty bits about a meal. Anthony Bourdain has published a collection of articles into a book entitled "The Nasty Bits." The quotation is something I picked up somewhere else, but it gets to the premise of the book...and the title (and content) is simply a play on the notion. The essays are all over the place...racism, food, kitchens, immigration, impregnation, quiche...Yeah. It's my kind of book. What is this word "focus?"

So, one of the essays that intrigued me is about how the dishwasher eventually makes the best cook. Why? Well, they know the kitchen from the ground up. They know hard work. They "know how to endure." Bourdain cannot stand the prissy artiste who looses his or her mind when the cod isn't available from the local fish monger. Sure, a CIA education is extremely valuable, but if the classically trained Chef cannot endure the life, what's the point? The dishwasher often makes the best cook.

What is it about endurance and dirt? How does this speak to intimacy? What is it about life that makes this statement ring so true to me? And what is it about the time following the crucifixion that speaks to endurance and food? Why food? Why does Jesus come at meal time?

Jesus seeks to aid us, to help us endure.

Rusted Root has a song entitled "All I Want Is Food and Creative Love." Somehow it'll appear in the sermon...likely just as the title. It's not a particularly narrative lyric. But the sentiment speaks to how I understand endurance. Food and creative love...love that creates and the things that sustain us.

What are you thinking about today?

Posted by tripp at April 3, 2008 07:17 AM
Comments

Jesus at meal time...the most basic of needs is to eat. We must take in fuel to survive. So much of our lives come down to food, what to eat, what not to eat, how to prepare it, ethical eating, is it too much, is there even enough? During the famine in China, people ate clay in an attempt to stay alive. Wouldn't the Christ want to ensure that Love is part of this most basic of human needs and that there is more to feeding ourselves and each other than what we put in our mouths. The act of sharing food with someone allows us to experience survival richly. And we feed each other at these basic levels when we gather without food present. We do this when the God that is Love is central to sustaining our existence. We can "eat clay", but it will kill us.

Just my reflections...worth the price of admission...

Posted by: Carly at April 3, 2008 09:31 AM

Running away to Crete and make art.

Posted by: teresa at April 3, 2008 04:34 PM
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