THE GIFT of FOOD

Food is a mystery. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if we have to depend on just one food item without the hope that of other varieties to meet our nutritional or cultural needs. In this context, the process of time spent waiting for its season can seem forever. Beginning from the preparation of a piece of land for farming, planting of chosen seeds and the time of harvest; the journey of a single corn seed before it will become a loaf of bread portends so much education on the significance of food. Yet, that our existence depends solely on the sustaining nutritional derivatives from food of all kinds is undoubted.

A seed of corn goes through a fundamental process before it become a loaf of bread; the farmer have to prepare the land; remove the weeds, till the topsoil, and plant the seed at the precise time of the years so it can tap into the providence of mother nature above and below the earth. After planting, there is also the need for periodical removals of weeds and sometimes in the arid region farmers have to water the soil or physically add organic manure. Some farmland do have pest invasion and pesticide would have to be applied. The preparation of the silos before the time of harvest is also an essential part of the whole preparation of the seed to become useful in making a loaf of bread. As soon as the shoots are out and the skies are generous in rain without the flood, you can be sure it is going to be a bountiful harvest. The setting of the harvest is usually a joint effort. Since each seed would have become a comb and increase into quantities that a farmer would require an assistance to harvest. Once in the barn, the corns are first sort for quality; the 'timid' ones are remove for immediate consumption of the farmer and helpers while the 'tougher' combs are reserved only to enjoy the warmth of the silos.

The choice of what quantity to grind into powder or use to make another flavour of meal is strictly at the discretion of the farmer and those who bought the portion kept for the market. To make a loaf of bread; the corn is first grinded into powder with the addition of other essential ingredients. Baking requires an expertise. The ingredients must be in the right measure just as the heat condition to have a perfect bake. The art of grinding the corn seed makes it loose it physical shape, deform it, and turns it into form that can easily be carried by the wind. Yet, it is in this new state of existence that makes it ideal for bread making. It must become a powder before it becomes a loaf. One of the essential ingredient is the yeast; this is more like a contamination additives yet it is the very one to bring out the best in the loaf. The final mixture is a blend of all the ingredients and place into a baking container in the oven. The oven generates heat that bakes the mixture of flower and other additives into a loaf. In the end, it is bread for life or a bread of life as served at the communion table.

This daily intake of food is the sacrifice needed to appease the keeper of the body temple. The seed goes through a dying in order to tap the nourishment required in our meal. Thus, food becomes a gift and produce solely out of the need to prepare the nourishment needed to keep the body and so sustain the spirit within. Nobody knows who prepare the first meal, and no one can predict who'll make the last. At most, we can guess the first man and woman did make the first and maybe the last man would prepare the last meal. What is certain about food is that we can't do without it. We appreciate its simple and sometimes sophisticated appeal. Its presentation; smell, taste, color and the pure feeling of having our stomach filled have endeared us to everything that had to do with its availability. Food is the reason we work and the basis of our lifelong endeavors.

Undoubtedly too and for the rest of our life, we live with cherished memories of parties and reunions because these events had a lot to do with food. Food binds us together. First to the heart of those we love. A mother's homemade meals are her outward sign of the much deeply rooted family love; it reminds of father's ability to provide, of siblings sense of belongingness and rootedness. No where on earth is life's invitation more ostentatious than at the table; when the sumptuous appeal of a special dish beckons our being to partake in the sweet heartfelt offering. Somewhere within our soul, we know this is an offering meant for the gods and in all perception of the creation, we are gods. Food is the reason we gather: even if it is for a cup of water to quench a thirst. O how merrily the heart blesses when thirst is quenched. This poignancy is something we recognize in every facets of life. The many ceremonies we've dotted life with are pleasantly appreciated when there are bits and pieces to swallow down. This generosity when extended to the less privileged and to the animals possesses an enduring lesson for us. The scripture mentioned our need to feed the flock, of not mustering the Ox that thread the mill and of being hospitable to strangers. The joy we derive from their loss of word at expressing gratitude when offered water or a loaf of bread is interminable.

The quest for immortality involved the need of or an abstinence from food. Most culture observes the three meals a day in the order of breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are several in-between junks we've made a habit to chew, lick, drink, eat and crunch. Yet food is more than what goes into the belly. It is whatever we feed our senses with. All of the sense organs are meant to be fed one way of another. Our eye feeds on the billions of multimedia information around us and is ever asking for more. Music and lots of talking delights the ears while our touch sense gravitates toward the warm embrace of those whose personality appeals to us. Of course, the sense of smell is ever in the knowing of the goings on around the town while the mind fashion out the best way to coordinate all of their acts. Sometimes, caught in the throes of the moment, this substance tends to satiate our appetite more than a loaf of bread would. How many of us would prefer a breath of early morning fresh air jogging, a dive in the pool or a flip through the dailies before joining for breakfast. The body's need of food view in this way is everything needed by it to be alive and functional. Little wonder, the Scripture is quick to warn; 'the body is the Lord's temple' and though must be fed regularly to keep body and soul together yet when the Spirit beckons for higher callings or the body becomes frail to yield, a fasting in needed to mutilate the deeds of the flesh.

The Scripture established a strange connection between the food that goes in and the attitude we exhibit; 'it's not what goes in that defiles the body, it's what comes out'. The educations taught by this delicate balance are the messages we reiterated from one generation another. Each new addition of children coming into a family picks this trait without much cohesion. After all, they also partake of the food we eat and are nurtured by our organs; it just comes natural for them to want to be like us. There is a connection between food and our behavioral faculty, and children are quick at aping the adults, somewhere along the line, the food we eat and all its mundane and ethereal essence get passed on unto our offspring. In a way, the food becomes the man just as the Word became the man. All the organs and tissues in our body are nourished by the kind of food we feed upon. Medical science has further proved the relatedness of food to behavior. A balanced diet, a vegetarian meal, a junk food, and so on the list of food go will produce the particular kind of man who cultivate them. Each has its own benefits just as lots of work without play is discouraged. Egg is good for the body, but its cholesterol is not. Some food needs extensive cooking to reducing their chemical or organic contents while others are taken without. We eat a lot of fruit raw yet there are others we don't at all and some that we have to parboil. It's a different stroke for a different folk.

We measure, melt and mix; slice, salt, and spice; boil, baked and roast; and so many similar activities before we say "breakfast, lunch or dinner is served". There are wisdom learnt observing the kitchen activities. Its first law 'cleanliness is next to godliness' is quite fundamental in our quest of eternity as much a requirement in earthly relationships. Purity of the body and mind are needed for a proper human functioning. The second says 'too many cooks spoil the pot', teaching respect and orderliness is essential to the first law. A home is made in the kitchen. Unlike other rooms which are personalized and exclusive, the activity that goes on in the 'food factory' are jointly shared and enjoyed. Parent not only provide for sourcing of the items needed in the kitchen, they also do the cooking and while at these find time to teach their young how to either source ingredients, cook the meal or clean up the utensils. It is here in the kitchen and at the table that the journey of a member of the family begins. The sharing of meals together is the ultimate initiation into the human family. Once the table is set and all eyes are on the meal waiting to be devoured; the saying of an appreciation goes a long way to show our recognition of food as a gift and nothing more.