For more information about PILAS and my short-term missions trip, please check out my prayer letter. You can also support PILAS by donating online on my fundraising web page.
I’m definitely learning a lot during this GLC week. For example, I’ve learned where the refried bean paste in our local burritos comes from, after making my onion-free black beans. And, I’ve learned not to soak black beans overnight in a white bowl.
I’ve also been thinking a lot about the “choicelessness is a mark of poverty” comment from yesterday’s blog. After 6 days of the Guatemala Life Challenge, I find I’m really missing flavour variety in my food. (And in the spirit of Day 4’s blog, I’m saying this as an observation, not a complaint.) For 7 days, my menu (which you can find on my fundraising web page) consists of only 3 different meals – but they’re all essentially from the same flavour palate: either bland or salty. Granted, my terrible cooking skills probably don’t help – but even with salt to reduce the blandness of the beans and eggs, it’s still just the same ol’ flavour!
Today was chicken soup and tortilla day – which is a nice change from the dryness of the other meals – but it was, again, more saltiness. It hit me that I wasn’t craving ice cream so much anymore, but I was craving anything sweet – chocolate, cookies, donuts – anything different from salt. I passed by a fruit stand today and realized how much I missed having blueberries, nectarines, apples – also because of their juiciness, another contrast to dry food. Even mint chewing gum would have been a refreshing change. Until now, I never realized just what a huge variety of flavours and textures we have access to in our food. Eating for pleasure, not just survival, is another mark of our privilege.
If you’ve ever donated to a relief organization that provides food to malnourished people, do you think about what kind of food is being provided? If you’re like me, you’ve probably never considered it – other than to assume it must be “nourishing” food. Bowls of oatmeal perhaps? Rice, grains, a little meat? As I’ve discovered this week, my body may be nourished, but not necessarily my soul. There’s a reason we have something called “comfort food”. Would we be happy if we just ate the same few foods day in and day out? Is it enough just to have our physical hunger relieved?
I don’t mean to malign relief organizations in any way – they do very important work that is a blessing to others. Nor am I saying that they should be handing out champagne and caviar. And I have no idea what food is actually provided in relief situations.
I guess that’s the point – I have no idea, I’ve never even thought about it. Here’s an idea for all of us – next time we’re donating to a food bank, how about donating something nutritious and delicious? We should always check with the food bank what foods are appropriate first – and wouldn’t it be nice if the people going to the food bank found something that might be considered a luxury food item? Or perhaps, found a top name brand of a needed item, instead of no-name brands?
ETCBC partners with St. Jude’s food bank which is open to the public every Wednesday from 10 am – 12 noon. You can find their list of most needed items online here. I don’t see cookies or brownies anywhere on this list, which is probably a good thing, since we should be promoting healthy eating. But maybe we could donate some lemon & pepper or sundried tomato flavoured canned fish, not just “tuna in water” =) Pastor Sam says St. Jude’s does offer cookies to people as they’re waiting to be served, and to bring home. Maybe we can ask them, and other food banks, what other special treats might be appropriate to give. I know I would have really appreciated some tasty treats this week!