The Worship of...Food?

I love magazines. Nothing makes me happier than having a slick magazine and a hot beverage in hand. I'm looking forward to an upcoming 5 hours on a plane where I will catch up on my subscriptions: Christianity Today, The Atlantic Monthly, Budget Travel, and Cooking Light.

I gave up my subscription to that last one for a while earlier this year. When I was first given a subscription as a wedding present nearly a decade ago, it was a down-to-earth southern magazine with moderate circulation. It caught on and was bought out by Time, Inc. and the classy southern editor was dumped for a pretentious Manhattan-y foodie. (E.g. It used to have a spread of 10 new cooking utensil or cooking-related products and how to buy them. They used to be small items that cost moderate amounts, a new style of whisk for a couple bucks, a coaster set made by impoverished Asian women for $8/set, things like that. When Time took over, NOTHING in that section has ever been affordable. October's issue features a $775 coat rack and $250 plates are common.) I was annoyed. I like finding new ingredients but if you don't have a Whole Foods within driving distance now, you are out of luck.

But then we moved to Michigan and I gave away all my years worth of CLs so I didn't move them and I found myself uninspired and needing some new ideas. So I re-subscribed.

Which brings us to now. When scanning the editorial for October (which I shouldn't because the editor is annoying and I HATE all his editorials that are pretentious drivel) I read this: "...[F]ood has taken its rightful place in the center of a family's life....Life's a journey, if we're lucky, of about 82,000 meals." (Scott Mowbray)

SERIOUSLY? Seriously. Okay, perhaps it isn't SOOOO bad if you haven't read all his other editorials, but having read enough, I caught on right away to this sad fact. This man WORSHIPS food. That isn't slang for he really likes food. I really like food. It is the Center of his universe. The god he bows down to, the idol he has erected.

Which is sad. And thought-provoking.

My family does sit down together to eat dinner approximately 29 days a month. This is precious family time, a time to catch up on each other's days, review what we've learned, and try new things or enjoy old ones. Mike and I have a little foodie side in us. We are currently reading Tyler Cowen's An Economist Gets Lunch, for instance.

And when I read the above editorial, it caused me to think: What do I worship? Where is my worship misplaced? Do I tend to worship the food instead of giving thanks to the Creator? There is a largely-lost historic practice of blessing the food before and thanking God after the meal. I confess that even the first part of that practice gets rushed and automatic rather than sincere at times. I'm both saddened by the editorial because this guy is missing SO much and grateful for it. It has made me ponder what it means when we pray before we eat.

The center of my family's life is not food. Thank God! It is a wise and gracious Creator who has given us many good things to enjoy, including dinner.