As I get back into the swing of blogging, I remember why I chose Sunday as my new post day. Besides being the day where I tend to have the most discrepancy for my time, its generally also the day where I can be a bit more alone with my thoughts, and be more reflective. This is facilitated by my weekly commitment to attend Sunday Mass, which I admittedly have severely failed at this summer. While there are several reasons for this (Ohio doesn't believe in evening Mass in the summer, China, doesn't believe in widespread churches, traveling doesn't believe in being conducive to church attendance, and James doesn't believe in not being too damn lazy sometimes) the important thing is I made it to Mass today. It was really striking and gave me a lot to think about banquets and eating and bringing people together. So yes, if you couldn't tell, there is religious content in this post, but I hope you'll keep reading to hear my thoughts on food and coming together.
The main impetus for this topic was when the priest in Mass today remarked, "I'm Italian, and food is a big deal to me". Though the audience laughed, I reflected about how Italians do very much value the family meal. Dungeon Daddy will be the first to attest that a family feast is one of his favorite things, and it is expected and desired to be a part of any family gathering for this reason. I remember my own meals at one of my best friends' home in elementary school whose parents were Italian. While whenever I visited other friends places it was customary to be an excuse to go out to dinner or order pizza, at this place we had a family dinner of pasta, complete with dinner conversation and semi-proper etiquette. Of course, in my trip to Italy, in particular our pizza wedding rehearsal dinner we all gathered in a wonderful Italian restaurant and truly experienced a less cliched version of "when you're hear you're family" as I was welcomed into a group of people I'd met literally the day before.
This idea of communal meals, great food, and the power that underlies it is not just an Italian thing by any means. In China, the banquets we attended had great significance as a place to recognize people, give them face, sort to speak, and demonstrate hospitality, generosity, and honor. In the Mexican culture, for example when I went to Pandita's graduation last June, I experiences very similar warm acceptance from her huge family, with great food, desserts and drinks. And its not just a cultural generalization. Cardmaster Cider welcomed Powder Climber and I back with a little home cooking and Dandy Woo recent married BTW, says shes excited for her and her hubby to host us (I've already been over like 5 times to visit and helped her make dessert for welcoming Tall Bear and the rest of us back).
So these meals are, in a sense, a chance for love. The deep heartfelt love from a family. The love of food. The love of new faces and old friends. Yes, even the romantic love. I mean classic first date, take the girl to dinner right? There's some rationale to that too. And as the priest went on, I reflected with him on the nourishment physically, emotionally, and spiritually we get from a meal. And as a Catholic, we take that very literally, the Jesus actually is the body and blood present in communion. It's probably the hardest message for an outsider to understand and one of the few truly Catholic doctrines in Christianity. But as a Catholic, as one who believes all I profess to believe, to discuss the depth of the ceremony I celebrate on a weekly basis, the multitude of layers taking place in the Mass, its disheartening that I've missed Mass so much this summer. Because as I was sitting there I felt the rejuvenation of getting reacquainted to the sacrament of Communion, re-capturing that great feeling, much like we have after Thanksgiving or Christmas. That heartfelt satisfaction of being in the right place with the people who love you and welcome you. And I can't imagine being anywhere else.
-JTY
Reading: Finished book three of the Dresden Files, I should probably get the rest.
Listening to: What makes you beautiful- One Direction. This is not by choice. Cali Foodie keeps getting it stuck in my head cuz its her ringtone and she plays it all the time.
Playing: Skyrim at last. Only a year late...
The main impetus for this topic was when the priest in Mass today remarked, "I'm Italian, and food is a big deal to me". Though the audience laughed, I reflected about how Italians do very much value the family meal. Dungeon Daddy will be the first to attest that a family feast is one of his favorite things, and it is expected and desired to be a part of any family gathering for this reason. I remember my own meals at one of my best friends' home in elementary school whose parents were Italian. While whenever I visited other friends places it was customary to be an excuse to go out to dinner or order pizza, at this place we had a family dinner of pasta, complete with dinner conversation and semi-proper etiquette. Of course, in my trip to Italy, in particular our pizza wedding rehearsal dinner we all gathered in a wonderful Italian restaurant and truly experienced a less cliched version of "when you're hear you're family" as I was welcomed into a group of people I'd met literally the day before.
This idea of communal meals, great food, and the power that underlies it is not just an Italian thing by any means. In China, the banquets we attended had great significance as a place to recognize people, give them face, sort to speak, and demonstrate hospitality, generosity, and honor. In the Mexican culture, for example when I went to Pandita's graduation last June, I experiences very similar warm acceptance from her huge family, with great food, desserts and drinks. And its not just a cultural generalization. Cardmaster Cider welcomed Powder Climber and I back with a little home cooking and Dandy Woo recent married BTW, says shes excited for her and her hubby to host us (I've already been over like 5 times to visit and helped her make dessert for welcoming Tall Bear and the rest of us back).
So these meals are, in a sense, a chance for love. The deep heartfelt love from a family. The love of food. The love of new faces and old friends. Yes, even the romantic love. I mean classic first date, take the girl to dinner right? There's some rationale to that too. And as the priest went on, I reflected with him on the nourishment physically, emotionally, and spiritually we get from a meal. And as a Catholic, we take that very literally, the Jesus actually is the body and blood present in communion. It's probably the hardest message for an outsider to understand and one of the few truly Catholic doctrines in Christianity. But as a Catholic, as one who believes all I profess to believe, to discuss the depth of the ceremony I celebrate on a weekly basis, the multitude of layers taking place in the Mass, its disheartening that I've missed Mass so much this summer. Because as I was sitting there I felt the rejuvenation of getting reacquainted to the sacrament of Communion, re-capturing that great feeling, much like we have after Thanksgiving or Christmas. That heartfelt satisfaction of being in the right place with the people who love you and welcome you. And I can't imagine being anywhere else.
-JTY
Reading: Finished book three of the Dresden Files, I should probably get the rest.
Listening to: What makes you beautiful- One Direction. This is not by choice. Cali Foodie keeps getting it stuck in my head cuz its her ringtone and she plays it all the time.
Playing: Skyrim at last. Only a year late...
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