Food Resolutions

A sermon delivered at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation (Blacksburg, VA), January 4, 2009, by the Reverend Christine Brownlie.

Reading: Grace for Atheists

Across ninety-three million miles of space, light from the sun bathes a wheat field.
Across two thousand miles of desert and hills, wind off the ocean brings rain.
In the soil of ten thousand fires and floods, wheat-stalks grow on an ancient seafloor.
As they have since the dawn of the human race, the farmer and the baker make bread from grain.
For the sun and the ocean,
For the ancient sea,
For the wheat that gave its life for me,
For the fire and flood,
For the fertile land,
For the careful toil of human hands that brought all of these to my table, I am humble, and I am grateful.

Jonathan Cohen

Sermon

“Food Resolutions.” Doesn’t that title sound grim? What are most resolutions about? Those no-no’s in our lives that we wish we could give up as in “I will not eat junk food!” Or doing more of those righteous “ought to’s” that we dread such as “I will eat less meat.” I’ll bet that some of you made Food Resolutions that sound a lot like the ones I just offered, and maybe you wish you hadn’t. It’s just so hard to keep them.

So here we are just a few days out from New Year’s Day, and some of us are still holding on to that list that’s going to change our lives for the better. We’re checking it twice to make sure that we really did promise to give up that 10 AM Krispy Kreme donut or that weekly burger at Bogens. Whatever were we thinking, and how long can we hold on to our good intentions before we cave in to temptation?

Changing our eating habits is very difficult to do. Our relationship with food is very complex and laden with emotion. One minute we’re reading a book about the virtues of raw veggies and unpasteurized milk and pledging ourselves to a new diet, and the next we’re hunting through the kitchen cabinets for the chocolate or the potato chips. (That’s dark chocolate you’re looking for, right?”)

Food is one of the greatest sources of enjoyment of human life. Recognizing this, I’d like to offer you some resolutions that could enhance that pleasure. You might even find some new ways to add a little adventure and fun to your meals. Some of these resolutions will also improve your health, save you money, and help lower your dietary carbon footprint. But fun and greater enjoyment are my primary goals. Another plus is that these resolutions are “SMART,” which means they are Specific, Measurable, Attainable (for most people), Realistic, and many are Time-based. So in the spirit of the day, embracing “change” and the determination of “Yes we can!”

Let’s look at some new food resolutions.

Let’s start with something that will have multiple benefits: eat at home more often. Eating at home gives you more control over the quality of the food you consume and the way it is prepared. It’s no secret that the foods offered in restaurants often include high calorie ingredients that aren’t always obvious. For example, some of the oils that are used to stir-fry vegetables are very high in calories. Those tasty sauces and dressings can contain far more cheese, cream, or oil than most of us would ever use if we made the same dish in our own kitchen. Eating at home is often less expensive too.

Cooking at home doesn’t have to be dreary. You might resolve to try a new recipe once a week or once a month. And if you’re looking for some great ideas, you might go through your copy of the UUC cookbook Cooking Up a Playground. I’ve got mine ready to go for the coming year. I’m eager to try Bonnie Moreno’s “Latin Chicken Soup,” the Zaldivars’ “Cuban Pork and Black Bean Salad,” Morton Nadler’s “Eggplant Spaghetti Sauce,” Seth Leonard’s “Awesome Mashed Potatoes,” Darla Bray’s “Miss Truitt’s Cheese Pastry,” and George Terrell’s “Sourdough Belgian Waffles.” What?? You don’t have a copy of this fabulous book. Well that lack is easily remedied!

Using a crockpot can make dinner at home much easier. I found mine at the Y Thrift store a few years back –a real find for $2.50!

Another possible resolution is to add a new cooking skill. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to make yeast breads, fresh pasta, soups that don’t start with canned stock, pickles, or jams. There’s something special about gaining a skill that can add an extra note of pleasure to your meals. You can take real pleasure in the compliments on the rolls you serve when they come from your own two hands and not a grocery store refrigerator — no matter what that chubby Dough Boy would have you believe. Or you may want to go for something even more exotic. The foods of other countries can easily appear on your table at home, thanks to the two “World Markets” that we have here in Blacksburg. Much of the produce that is sold at Oasis is grown locally. MEATS? You might try a cooking class through the Open University, the Gourmet Pantry or the Blacksburg Recreation Department (page 29 or call 961–1135) to liven up your culinary repertoire.

Could it be that there’s some inspiration hidden in the dark recesses of your kitchen cabinets? Exotic equipment such as fondue pots, fish poachers, a paella pan, or a make-your-own-sushi kit. Get these items out of hiding. Use them to make that special dish, or maybe you can swap with someone who has an unwanted Belgian waffle maker. (That way you can try George’s Terrell’s recipe without having to buy one!) If you’re not interested in that long-ignored while elephant and no one else wants it, then a donation to Goodwill or the Y Thrift store might be in order. The resulting extra cupboard space might be a much-appreciated gift for you!

I found another interesting resolution that awakened a happy childhood memory for me: have a ritual meal once a week. For my family that ritual meal was a big dinner on Sunday after church. My mother would get up early and prepare the main course, which would slowly cook in the over while we were at church. When we came home, the house would be filled with incredible smells.

Your ritual meal might be much simpler. The trick is to find something that works, and then to keep it going as best you can. My brother-in-law, Tom, likes to tell how his dad made a big deal out of his “secret” recipe for the special hot dogs that he’d serve his kids when their mom was away for the evening. These “secret” hot dogs were prepared by splitting them down the middle and tucking a piece of cheddar cheese in the split. The special meal couldn’t have been simpler, but it became a cherished ritual that still makes Tom smile.

This ritual meal was so simple that a child could prepare it; which suggests another food resolution. Teaching a child to cook is an opportunity to spend time together. If she or he is adventurous, this might also be a way to expand their palate — and yours as well. If leaning to cook seems like an ordeal, then maybe just trying a taste of some of the more exotic and unfamiliar fruits and veggies that you can find in the supermarket can be an adventure. I’ll never forget the rainy afternoon that my older son and I repainted the kitchen trying to prepare a pomegranate. Ruby colored juice was everywhere! (I’ve just heard that peeling this juicy fruit in a bowl of water is a better method!) This was only one of several memorable and messy culinary adventures that I shared with my sons. They didn’t leave the nest as accomplished cooks, but they had a few basic skills that made life a little easier when they went out on their own.

Before you offer cooking lessons to your children or grandchildren, you might want to learn some new skills to pass on to them. Do you know how to sharpen a knife safely and skillfully? Or how to separate the egg yolk from the white? Learning the special arm motion that will let you flip a pancake or an omelet can be very impressive. If you’d like to learn how, I’m happy to say that there are several YouTube videos as well as some Web sites that will get you started. If taking on new skills and new foods seems a bit scary, I’d offer you the words of one British woman who declares in her food blog that “I no longer have use for timidity in the kitchen!” Now there’s a resolution worth keeping!

Many of the “food resolutions” that I’ve suggested came from a number of Web sites and blogs about food. I intentionally avoided sites that focused on what we call “healthy eating” and sites that might focus on a particular type of diet. I wanted to know what people who were devoted to the art of cooking and enjoying food of all kinds were thinking as the New Year approached. Some of the sites I visited dated back to 2006 and others were timelier. I must have looked at 20 different sites, and I came across the same ideas over and over again. The one difference I noticed was that the comments dated in 2008 and 2009 showed more concern for eating with a awareness of how our personal food choices affected the environment.

These sites offered more on using foods that were grown locally, and preferably not in hot houses which can add significantly to energy consumption. Growing your own whenever possible was strongly encouraged, as was avoiding waste and composting. The Bon Appetite site claims that our present food system is responsible for one-third of the global greenhouse emissions. If you want to know about your personal food carbon footprint you can find a calculator at www.foodcarbon.co.uk/. Another suggestion for those who want to eat green is to pay more and eat less. The ideas here is that while organic and locally grown small farm foods may cost more, most of us consume more protein and more calories than we need for good health.

The most challenging “food resolution” that I found time and again is to eat mindfully. This is my #1 food resolution, and I suspect that it just might stay at the head of my list of food resolutions for a long time. I am often a very mindless eater. The first couple of bites of whatever food is before me always gets my attention. I enjoy the flavor, the aroma, and the texture of the food. But within five bites my attention is no longer on the food. I’m caught up in the book, the TV program, the newspaper, or whatever I’ve brought with me to the table, until suddenly I realize that I’ve eaten everything on my plate! No wonder I want a little more! I’ve missed most of the enjoyment of the meal. Maybe you’ve had a similar experience when you eat at your desk or grazing the leftovers when you’re too tired to fix something after a long day at the office. You pull out the sandwich you brought from home or fill your plate, and within a couple of minutes whatever you decided to consume has vanished, almost without your notice.

Just like sharpening a knife or making bread, mindful eating is a skill that we must learn and practice, if we are to benefit from it.

The first step is to approach eating with awareness and gratitude. We might think of the source of the food that we’re about to consume and the people who have worked so that we could have this food before us. We can take a few moments to consider our hunger and how much food it will take to satisfy that sense of emptiness in our body. We can express gratitude for the food that we have. Thich Nhat Hahn reminds us that every bite we eat is a gift of the whole universe and much hard work. Taking a few moments to acknowledge this reality might help us value our food more deeply.

The mechanics of mindful eating are simple. Turn off the TV and close the book. Pay attention to what you’re doing. Cut the food into small pieces or take smaller bites of the sandwich. Chew slowly and longer than you usually do. I can remember my grandfather telling me to chew every mouthful 20 times. That seemed excessive to my ten-year-old mind and body, which were anxious to get back to whatever I was doing, but now I might be ready to give this a try.

Being present to our food and how we eat it will certainly have a profound effect on what we choose to eat and how much we consume. I suspect that even simple foods will become more satisfying. Again, to quote Thich Nhat Hahn, “I dwell in the present moment, and I see that this piece of bread that’s in my mouth tastes so good.” Giving thought to where the food was grown or produced, and imagining the work and the people involved in getting it to our table may help us remember that we are not self-sufficient. There are many unseen and unacknowledged hands and forces that made it possible for us to have the meal that is before us.

I hope that you have picked up at least a couple of ideas for food resolutions that will make your experiences with food and eating more fun and — dare I say it — more meaningful. I want to end with one more resolution that I especially like. “Make friends with a senior citizen and invite him or her for dinner.” (I don’t mean to hint, but you know, I’m just a bit over 60, which does fit the age range for a Senior Citizen.) And a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is one of my favorite foods!

Enjoy!