One of the first things that comes to mind when thinking of
differing cultures is eating; various types of food and cookery. Every people
group has its own local diet, its own cuisine, even its own idea of what constitutes
healthy nutrition. When we travel with the intent to learn about other people,
food is one of the first things we want to experience and experiment with.
Seventh-day Adventists have had their own subculture when it
comes to this subject, although our ideas about plant-based, low-fat,
low-sugar, low-additive foods have now been widely accepted in the world around
us. It’s easier than ever in Western societies to be vegetarian or vegan
without facing so much as a lifted eyebrow.
What did Jesus do? Again, He chose an observant Jewish
home, and He centered His ministry where the diet laws given in the Torah were
accepted as conventional wisdom, “what we do.” But beyond that, He seems to
have eaten what was put in front of Him. He certainly ate lamb at the Passover,
and is shown to have killed, cleaned, cooked, and eaten fish even after His
resurrection, in His glorified body! That seems so strange to some of us. And
He did not follow the detailed washing rituals the
various sects prescribed for before meals, though no doubt He was clean. His
culture ate what we today would call a “Mediterranean diet,” that is, lean
meats and fish, legumes, lots of fresh, in-season produce, a variety of fresh,
whole grain breads, and olive oil. He is never shown as being present at a
gathering where anything particularly decadent would have been served.
Questions to ask: What are the customs where I live? What
are the moral issues, if any, of eating? Do they include sustainable
agriculture practices and ways of supporting local growers? How can I use my
eating habits as a way of building bridges to those around me, rather than as a
wall? How can I use food as a way of being teachable and allowing others to
teach me, too, rather than always being in the teaching position?
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