O Taste and See!

As we've looked at ways to use our senses for the purpose of creating a loving, welcoming home environment, we've covered sight, sound, touch, and hearing in previous blogs.  Today, I will examine the sense of taste and ways in which it may be used to nurture those in our homes.

It is not by accident that most fellowship activities and social engagements revolve around food.  First and foremost, food is necessary for life... albeit not in the extreme amounts that most Americans consume, but that is a whole different blog.  Whether a snack or an all-out meal, food just seems to go with conversation and good times.  A great degree of satisfaction is experienced through our taste buds.

As with all good things, Satan has worked very hard and very slyly in order to pervert this gift of taste given to us by a loving Heavenly Father.  Some of us have developed a taste for things that are not good for our bodies and others have experienced a "short circuit" in the mechanism that tells us when we've had enough.  Alcohol abuse and nicotine addiction are examples of some things that have been proven harmful for the human body, yet their use is well recognized in our society.  Obesity caused by gluttony costs billions of dollars in related health issues and health care every day.  The point I'm making here is simple:  Be careful what you develop a taste for in your life!

That said, let's look at the issue from a viewpoint that shows constraint and appreciation for this gift of taste.  If you are reading this blog then you have access to a computer and know how to use it.  There are thousands (if not millions) of websites devoted to cooking and great recipes.  Many even include complete meal plans tailored to the specific health needs of individuals.  It is a simple matter to log onto one and find a new way in which to use one pound of ground beef in order to feed a hungry family.  And what's really exciting is the fact that many sites are dedicated to low-cost recipes.  If you don't have access to a computer (and someone has simply told you about my blog), then the availability of cookbooks and pamphlets for recipes is staggering.  Perhaps the most valuable of all resources is the memory of your mother or grandmother as they share their recipes honed and proven down through the years.

While a recipe is the beginning of a satisfying meal, experience in preparation will ensure success in using it.  Like any skill, cooking takes effort and dedication.  I have been told that I am an excellent cook, but I assure you that was not always the case.  Even now I remember my first attempt at beef stroganoff.  When my husband and I put the first bite into our mouths we each simultaneously spit it back out with a loud groan.  It was awful!  With resignation, I dumped the stuff into our dog's bowl figuring that at least it wouldn't completely be wasted.  The dog sniffed, took a tentative lick, then looked up at me with disgusted  indignation and walked away.  That's when I knew that I needed some help if I was ever to be able to present tasty, appealing meals to my family... and I was smart enough to seek that help from my husband's grandmother-- a proven master in the kitchen.  Not only could the woman cook, but she could make a chicken provide multiple meals for several days without repeating a single offering.  She was amazing!  I learned from the best.

The anticipation of a good meal is almost as satisfying as the meal itself.  My husband often tells me that he thinks about supper on his way home from work at night, eager to discover what I am serving that evening.  In addition, I try to cook enough extra for meals that I am able to prepare a plate for him to take to work for his lunch later in the week.  In fact, Bob has shared with me that he often needs to "fight off the hungry dogs" (a.k.a. his co-workers) in order to enjoy his lunch.  They frequently bemoan the fact that they "... wish my wife would fix something like that for my lunch!"  (The reasons behind why that doesn't happen will constitute another blog some day.)

When my children were younger, they would arrive home from school each day to find a snack prepared and awaiting them at the kitchen table.  After making a bee line to their rooms to deposit their load of books, their first stop would be the table, where we would talk about their day as they enjoyed their special treat.  Often, it was no more than a peanut butter and homemade jelly sandwich with a glass of milk, but the message behind it was far more important.  By meeting their sense of taste (and their need for nourishment), I was telling each of them that they had value in my eyes, that I loved them, and that I would always be there to provide their needs.  Many a wonderful conversation took place around the afternoon snack table.  One of my fondest childhood memories was that each Sunday evening my step-mother would fill a paper grocery bag with fresh popcorn drizzled with melted butter and just a touch of salt, sit it in front of our black and white television, furnish each of her seven children with a glass of Kool-Aid, and turn on the Ed Sullivan Show followed by the Wonderful World of Disney.  It was probably the quietest time of the week in a household of nine people, interrupted only by the sound of popcorn munching, occasional giggles, and the ooh's and ahh's of watching the programs.

 God designed living creatures such that they require regular sustenance in order to survive.  Humanity, being made in God’s image, requires also spiritual sustenance – food for the spirit within.  Even when the Bible talks about physical food, there’s a spiritual lesson to be learned.

 Proverbs 17:1 Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it
Than a house full of feasting with strife.

Proverbs 24:13 My son, eat honey, for it is good,
Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;
Proverbs 24:14 Know that wisdom is thus for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a future,
And your hope will not be cut off.

  

Ecclesiastes 10:17 Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time–for strength and not for drunkenness.

Revelation 3:20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

Addressing the sense of taste in our home will provide multiple opportunities for meaningful conversations and pleasant interactions among those present.  Remember that cooking well is a skill that can be taught and learned... and then too,  there's always take-out.

O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

(Psalm 34:8)