Towards the end of her chapter on food, Jen Hatmaker references one of my all time favorite writers in the world, Barbara Kingsolver who in her book, Animal Vegetable Miracle extols the importance of getting back home with our food preparation. Kingsolver writes:
"When my generation of women walked away from the kitchen we were escorted down that path by a profiteering industry that knew a tired, vulnerable marketing target when they saw it. "Hey, ladies," it said to us, "go ahead, get liberated. We'll take care of dinner." They threw open the door and we walked into a nutritional crisis and genuinely toxic food supply....But a devil of a bargain it has turned out to be in terms of daily life. We gave up the aroma of warm bread rising, the measured pace of nurturing routines, the creative task of molding our families' tastes and zest for life; we received in exchange the minivan and the Lunchable."
These words convict with truth for me. I enjoy cooking. One of the treasures of the summer for me is gardening. It is a family affair tending to the squash, zucchini, tomatoes, corn, and beans. This year we've added eggplant, bell peppers, spinach, radishes, carrots, beets, and potatoes. My mouth waters as we weed and wait until they are ready to pick. This week we froze bags of squash and zucchini that were not on my list, but oohh they will be soon. In the hustle and bustle of the school year with my garden canned, frozen, eaten, and given away I find myself just like Kingsolver wrote in the above passage tempted by convenience, working hard for the nuggets and the frozen pizza and outsourcing not only our meals but our family time around the table for things that appeal to be better at the time.
I am learning that they are not. In a recent episode of Mad Men, one of the women ad writers, Peggy Olsen works her marketing magic with Burger Chef, a local fast food chain helping to craft an ad that does just what Kingsolver figured out - it appealed to women compelling them to not cook dinner tonight, but instead gather around the Burger Chef table.
My pastor brought a wonderfully and equally convicting message about not outsourcing our childrens' spiritual development to organized sports or overcomitting our schedules so that what is best is what is left off. I have been guilty of that this past year with volleyball practice for Lily, dance for Hannah, piano for both, and baseball for Eli not only have there been many nights that we've had to eat junk on the go, but we've also been absent from the pew, and from being present from each other. We are a family and we are the best support we have every day outside of our church family and as a parent I have to guard their time, guard their meals, and guard our meals so that what it is convenient and tempting is not what is reached for first.
This week has changed me too and I am thankful for it. Here's to more thoughtful cooking, eating, and living.
Sincerely,
Dawn
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