Food is good. Jesus said that nothing we eat harms us, but evil comes out of us, from our heart. We should eat with gladness (Ecclesiastes 9:7) because God gives us everything for our enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17). We can start with lists that include meat, fish, birds, olives, wine, eggs, every herb, fruit, honey, milk, flour, and locusts, and we also know that man cannot live on bread alone, but everything God tells us (Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4). In the largest sense, we can eat nearly anything, or nearly nothing.
With that in mind, what should we eat? Duh. Food.
Around the world, throughout the ages, in various cultures, by sundry traditions, according to availability, people have enjoyed lots of foods that we may not know. Some of my friends rejoice in grasshopper season, others eat lots of manioc (cassava) or meats, fish, grains, bark, and larva that we simply avoid. They do unusual things in the kitchen, like chewing raw food before cooking it for you, or letting it age for weeks or months before or after cooking. Or without cooking. Some cultures eat almost all vegetables, others almost entirely meat, fish, seafood, insects and grubs. A lot of it would never come close to my tongue, I can assure you.
Many cultures are acclaimed for longevity. Currently, areas of Japan, Greece, Italy, Soviet Georgia, Costa Rica, and Loma Linda (yes, just that one Seventh Day Adventist town) in California appear to head the list. Why? They seem less inclined to kill themselves. Diet may be part of that, though their diets are rather radically different. They tend to skip smoking, drinking, drugging, couch-potatoing, panicking, fighting, stealing, hoarding, and generally hating and abusing each other.
As Proverbs 3:1-2 says, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.” In a world where we all get roughly 70–80 years, up to 120 at the outside limit, what does that really mean? Well, like food, when those days are enjoyable and lived wisely, they nourish us with all wisdom. Just a few days, or even one, can be worth a lifetime of peace. They make what is in us more enjoyable.
The things I love most with breakfast, lunch, and dinner are peace, quiet, wisdom, prayer, and good company. And maybe soup and a cheese sandwich.
Recent Comments