Day 37: Food

Thank you, God, for food.

This should be an obvious one, but I haven’t shared about it yet. I like food—probably more than I should—yet at the same time, I don’t usually eat good food. My food purchases tend to be utilitarian. It has to check at least a couple of these boxes: Can I eat it? Is it a good deal? Does it taste okay? Will my family (especially the kids) eat it without complaining too much?

But I have eaten good food. Food allows us to live; it gives us energy and sustenance. And let’s face it—we probably don’t think about food the right way often enough, according to our doctors and our scales.

My gratitude today isn’t really about any of those things. My gratitude is about the memories of food, because they tie me to experiences, friends, and family.

This started today as I walked up and chatted with the preschoolers. They were eating those iced oatmeal cookies—you know the kind. They might cost $2 now if you buy the Great Value brand. I’m sure they make fancier versions. But those cookies, along with popcorn and Fiddle Faddle, remind me of my grandparents.

I remember in high school going to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field and, oddly enough, I remember the steakhouse we ate at—Kenzie Chophouse—more than the baseball game itself. I remember getting Little Caesars pizza after Taryn and I’s wedding. I remember an asparagus soup and a corned beef dish that my mom made while I was growing up.

And maybe the weirdest memory—because I think I was about four years old—is eating Nutter Butter cookies at Fox Ridge State Park, right before my brother hit my aunt with a softball. Fox Ridge has another food memory, too: I remember a festival there with a guy who always made cotton candy. Cotton candy machines are pretty impressive.

It’s amazing how our memories can be tied to food. I think this is one of the many lasting impacts of the Lord’s Supper. A simple meal of bread and juice has transformed and informed our knowledge of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.

I remember a number of communion services, but I also know that many of them blend together. Still, much like my other food memories, food, friends, and God were all involved. Most of the time the food wasn’t all that fancy (besides Kenzie Chophouse), but the people, the events, and you, God, made them special.

Do you have food linked to memories?