Our Daily Bread

Fourth of July began at our house with breakfast: blueberry almond pancakes. How a mixture of flour, baking soda, salt, eggs, butter, almond paste, almond extract, vanilla extract, and blueberries can possibly taste so good is one of life's great wonders. The day ended with barbecued baby back ribs and a bottle of Kinneybrook Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine is, of course, nothing but grape juice. How the juice of little grapes grown in Sonoma Valley in 2008 can be so lush with fragrances of raspberry, cherry, and spice is another of life's great wonders.

I am an unashamed foodie. I browse in William Sonoma and/or Sur la Table every time I go into the mall, subscribe to food magazines, and have at least eight open bottles of different vinegars in the cupboard. My spice cabinet overfloweth. Most days just after breakfast I'm considering what I'll be cooking for dinner.

Food more than almost anything else serves as a constant reminder of our embodiment. We are not "true selves" rattling around in bodies. Our bodies are part of the "true self" package deal. Our need to eat and the pleasures of eating never let us forget. We were created whole people.

Now I realize that as we age, our sense of taste and our appetites wane. In addition, we can't eat the quantities we once ate nor can we tolerate the kinds of spice or richness we once could. And medical conditions also dictate what we will or will not be able to enjoy.

Having said that, food is one of the great daily pleasures of life. It can cause us to affirm the goodness of our bodies, of the creation from which our food comes, and of the God who provides our "daily bread."Which makes saying grace to give thanks not so much a chore as a privilege.

N.B.: I've written more about food in the past. Here are the links if you're interested: Food Glorious Food and Food, Finitude, and Faith.