Bread

I've been reading a new book called Food and Faith; a Theology of Eating.  It is encouraging more thoughtful eating which in turn creates more thankful eating.

'Thoughtful eating reminds us that there is no human fellowship without a table, no table without a kitchen, no kitchen without a garden, no garden without viable ecosystems, no ecosystems without the forces productive of life, and no life without its source in God.'


The section on bread really got me thinking:

'the visible, aromatic, and tactile presence of a warm loaf invites sharing and companionship (a "companion" - from the Latin com: "with" + panis: "bread" - is "one who shares bread").  In addition to providing nourishment, bread communicates home, hospitality, and fellowship, the sharing of our life together.'

This book has also given more meaning to eating with friends, and especially hosting dinner parties:


'Eating together should be an occasion in which people learn to become more attentive and present to the world and each other.'