Kitchen
“Man invented cooking before he thought of nutrition. To be sure, food keeps us alive, but that is only its smallest and most temporary work. Its eternal purpose is to furnish our sensibilities against the day when we shall sit down at the heavenly banquet and see how gracious the Lord is. Nourishment is necessary only for a while; what we shall need forever is taste. ”
The kitchen is a sacred place. It is a place of nourishment and creativity, provision and connection. It is where meals are made for family and friends, and where countless conversations occur that connect us to one another. Kitchens were once separated from the relational interaction of the home. They operated behind closed doors and the work of preparing food was done by the working class or enslaved people. A kitchen is now designed to be the center of social activity. The kitchen is the holy overlap of the ordinary and extraordinary.
There is a wealth of wisdom about the how cooking connects us with God and our neighbor. Two trusted voices about the sacredness of the kitchen are an Episcopal priest and local friend.
Robert Farrar Capon celebrated the goodness of creation and the joy of cooking. His theological perspective through a culinary lens is best heard in, "The Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection". Capon inspires us to consider the sacredness of the ordinary in the kitchen; including a chapter devoted to observing the miraculous of an onion. “Between the onion and the parsley, therefore, I shall give the summation of my case for paying attention. Man's real work is to look at the things of the world and to love them for what they are. That is, after all, what God does, and man was not made in God's image for nothing,” writes Capon. It is an invitation to consider how we live with intention toward the people and places around us.
Shari Meserve has cooked in professional kitchens and taught cooking skills to people transitioning from living on the streets to a home with a kitchen. “The kitchen has been my area to create and give.” she shared in our conversation. Her conviction is, “Cook with care. It is always an act of love.”
The kitchen is where she has cared for both food and family. “There is something less intimidating to have important conversations while working side by side in a kitchen,” Shari shared. Food is inherently relational. Those who we invite into our kitchens we invite into our lives. “The best way neighbors came into our home was when I was preparing meals for them.” Working side by side in a kitchen with someone invites insight into who we are, how we work, and what we love.
The kitchen is a place of creation and connection. It is where we are invited to see the holiness of food and friendship. The kitchen is a place where we daily see the sacred in the ordinary. The kitchen is a sacred place.
