When Tables Talk
Guest post by Sandra Dumitras
What do you think might happen if you asked 100 strangers to talk about their favourite meal? What if you asked them why they like it, what it tastes like, where they first had it, who prepared it? You might make friends from all backgrounds.
Food has formidable potential for cultivating community, even in the midst of a pandemic. Maybe this is why we’ve reinvented ways to gather around the “table” over the last year, through virtual platforms or physically-distanced outside.
We all have the desire to help, and we all need to accept help. I have been on both sides of this food exchange. My parents and I left Romania when I was 10 years old, and we started life from scratch in Canada. We found a Romanian church and made new friends there. I remember how much I looked forward to the church potluck meals--pots of cabbage rolls and dolmades and stews--because they felt like “home.” After we found our footing, we were the ones hosting meals and dropping off food for new families. Then, when my father was diagnosed with a terminal illness, the tide shifted again and we were the recipients of more meals than I can count.
Shared meals are not the same as before the pandemic, and this affects newcomers in a unique way. Eating together has always been a social glue. It is a way to almost physically share part of your story with someone else, to build trust, and to enjoy others’ company. It’s a community-building tool that is all the more missed when other supports are lacking.
I am thankful to have a job that revolves around growing, preparing, and sharing food. At the Farm to Families program at A Rocha I connect underserved community members to food literacy, education, and vegetable donations. Pre-COVID, busloads of newcomer families, seniors, and students identified as at-risk used to come to A Rocha’s BC centre for gardening and cooking workshops, shared meals, and forest tours.
Some EAL (English as an Additional Language) students from a partner agency received our vegetable donations, but they didn’t want to take home unfamiliar vegetables, even if they needed food assistance. So I brought crates of vegetables into the heart of the city and explained how each vegetable could be used. When we reviewed new vocabulary, I often asked, “How do you say this in your language?” Responses stretched into stories and recipes, depending on the language level. Students shared photos and videos of their families cooking with the vegetables. There were meals skillfully decorated with vegetable rosettes and bowls of traditional stews for ushering in a family birthday. Despite the language barriers, we were all able to share key life moments.
The Bible is full of descriptions of meals marking significant events. The Passover involves unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The Communion table holds bread and wine. The return of the prodigal sun is celebrated with a fattened calf. Reunion with God will be marked by a banquet. Much of Jesus’ ministry is located around the dinner table--usually with unexpected guests. He invites all to join him for a meal “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to them and eat with them and they with me.” (Rev 3:20).
What might it look like for us to inaugurate a pandemic meal practice that is aimed at building community? Call a family member and ask them how to make that one meal you’ve always intended to learn how to make. If you have a garden, offer to grow food for someone who doesn’t. When you make a big batch of soup or pasta sauce, drop off a jar at a friend’s doorstep. Give away a potted herb. Learn more about your newcomer neighbours, ask them to recommend an ethnic grocer that you can visit, and try one of their recipes.
Find ways to consistently and intentionally care for each other. We are also reminded, Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for they share their bread with the poor. (Proverbs 2:9) Now is the time for extra love, so let’s find ways to feast together, whether it’s on bitter herbs or honeycomb.
Blessings
Sandra Dumitras
Farm to Families Coordinator at A Rocha Canada
A Rocha is an international Christian organization which, inspired by God’s love, engages in scientific research, environmental education, community-based conservation projects and sustainable agriculture. Sandra identifies and secures resources for A Rocha’s practical creation stewardship activities, and is passionate about helping create a culture at the Brooksdale Centre in which faith, environmental stewardship, culinary adventures, community-building and education form a coherent whole.