Better is a dinner of vegetables where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it. Proverbs 15:17, NRSV
There’s nothing like the gathering of friends over a meal. That feeling of well-being as food and drink are shared – along with stories and laughter. What’s on the plate doesn’t have to be fancy, just offered and accepted with gratitude and grace. It doesn’t even have to be a full meal; some cheese and crackers, an apple slice or two – what counts is the hospitality that comes with it.
It doesn’t have to be hatred. It can be anger, a fight not resolved before the guests arrived, the look of distaste or disgust; any of these makes for a miserable time that not even the finest cuisine can fix. When hospitality and care aren’t at the table, what’s on the plate really doesn’t matter. It’s a long night, and not a good one, when love is absent.
When we come together for a meal, what we really want is food for the soul as well as the body.
You’re singing our song. Pam has spent her whole life in the food biz, and at this stage of life, what really matters is not so much the food–though good, simple food prepared in love is a great gift…and a great bottle of wine sure doesn’t hurt! But what really matters is what the food and wine make possible between people at the table.
So true. It’s an everyday miracle, or it should be – sustaining food and loving company. Thanks, David!