Fri 24 Nov 2006
We’re going to do something a bit different today. Typically I try to devote Fridays to two separate posts: one highlighting both poetry and music and the other offering some of the links I found interesting for the week. But since my internet access has been quite limited this week, there hasn’t been any browsing and the one poetry/music post that I have written features link to a band that, for some reason has had their site taken down!
Much of the American perception of the holiday of Thanksgiving revolves around eating. At its most fundamental, we have driven many hundreds of miles to share a meal with family and friends. Yet eating with people is more than a simple utilitarian act, it is a shared experience and it is a deeply cultural phenomenon. As you can tell, I’ve been thinking some about food this week.
My family and I have had the privilege of living in some different parts of the country. My three boys have each been born in different state (though, Lord willing, there won’t be another move for quite some time!). As we have the chance to go back and visit some of the places we’ve lived, we find ourselves saying “we have to eat at ________ before we leave.”
It’s interesting how integral food is to many of our experiences. When we’re in the Phoenix, AZ area, we always try to eat at Chino Bandido’s Takee Outee, which is a combination of Mexican, Chinese and American. Not that they serve all of the above, their dishes actually combine all of these elements into one tasty goodness! While in the west, my wife also makes a point to try to get fish tacos and when in Louisville, KY, we make a point to try to get to Ramsi’s Cafe on the World. There are certain foods that have come to, for us, encapsulate certain geographical regions.
God has created us as “whole” people and the very act of nourishing our bodies can become a sensory-filled opportunity to make friends, deepen bonds and create memories. Eating together is (almost always) about more than simply eating with other people in the room. In biblical times, exclusion from table fellowship was quite severe. Paul warns the Corinthians not even to eat with the sexually immoral (1 Corinthians 5:11). I wonder how many of us think of eating as a religious experience.
What are some of the foods or restaurants that you associate with places and why? When you’re in “X,” where do you “have to go” before you leave? Please share.
- Visit the Chino Bandido official website
on 24 Nov 2006 at 10:18 am 1.Chris said …
Great post. I am in Memphis visiting my mom. When in Memphis, you have to go to the Germantown Commissary for the best BBQ ever!
Where is Chino Bandito’s? I haven’t been there yet, but have heard from a number of people it is wonderful!
on 24 Nov 2006 at 10:56 am 2.Brent said …
The original Chino Bandido is on 19th and Greenway, but they just opened one in Chandler, which would probably be closer to you.
on 25 Nov 2006 at 12:13 am 3.SolShine7 said …
Cool post. I really like talking about food. This is exactly why your blog is my current favorite. So here’s my short list:
When in Boston…I have to get a slice of pumpkin cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, grab a slice of cheesy pizza from Cappy’s, a homemade cannoli from Mike’s Pastry and a mouth-watering blueberry scone from Diane’s Bakery.
When in California…the “egg rolls” from this Asian place at the Grove in Hollywood are a must-have. Then a salad or something from Sizzlers. And Mexican food, lots of it!
When in Michigan…I just gotta have a dreamy Oreo blast from Caribou Coffee.
on 27 Nov 2006 at 9:14 pm 4.Brent Jeffrey Thomas said …
I loved the pastry and coffee drinks at Mike’s Pastry in Boston, which I visited in July. Near Paul Revere’s house and the Old North Church.
When I drive up to Albuquerque I eat at the Frontier Cafe. Open 24 hours a day. Everything is good, American and New Mexican food. Southwestern art covers the walls.
When I lived in Orange County there was a great restaurant near Disneyland (where I once was a portrait artist). The restaurant served huge portions of delicious food. The restaurant is in a pink building, I think on Chapman avenue, and is called Bellisles.
Here in Belen, NM, the place to eat is Pete’s Cafe. In a beautiful, cool adobe building across from the Harvey House, and near Judy Chicago’s art studio. The food is classic New Mexico. The state question is “Red or green chile?”. The Sopapillas with honey are wonderful.
In Conwy, Wales, the fish and chips and welsh cakes, at several places in town, are particularly satisfying.
on 28 Nov 2006 at 2:38 am 5.Brent Jeffrey Thomas said …
I too enjoy this blog and am in agreement with SolShine 7. I love to see so many aspects of God’s Creation discussed, the wide range of subjects,experiences, thoughts and things, the Christian context. Thank you Pastor.