Food for Thought

A few months ago, I was describing to some friends what tamales are. I described its texture, color, consistency, and appearance. That was fairly easy but when it got to taste, I asked myself how do you describe a dish to someone who’s never even heard of it?

This dilemma is not a one-time thing. As a Filipino who grew up in the Philippines (side note: Philippine tamales are different), a lot of dishes I eat and make are unheard of by colleagues and friends. Describing them – especially the most exotic ones – can be a brain drain moment for me.

The situation with the tamales (for anyone who does not know, I Googled it and discovered it originated from Guatemala. I learn something new every day!) made me think about how much of our conversations are spent on describing and sharing experiences on food, clothes, education, and everyday things.

I learned two spiritual lessons:

1: As Christian, how much of our conversations revolve around God’s love? How much time do we actually spend on sharing about His love and concern for us? If you are anything like me, probably not as much as I spend talking (much less thinking) about food. Hmm!

2: How do we go about describing God? I believe God solved this one for us when he sent His son in the form of a man who felt hunger, pain and exhaustion just like we do.