The Feast (II); or: A Story about making Food

Wow. I didn’t think that post would attract that much attention! Thanx to everyone who read it, I hope it makes sense. To me it does, anyway. But on to more important things:

One of the things I like to do most, is to make food, especially with my friends. Wheteher it is a simple BBQ, or if we make biltong potjie, or whether it is a seafood stew – it becomes an event in itself. Eventually it is not about the end product at all, but about the process.

One of my best friends, Shaun, and I like it a lot to experiment. This past week or so in res we were kind of forced to do so, because our dining hall money is finished and therefore we are dependent on either take-aways or Pick ‘n Pay. One can only eat so much take aways, even if there is a lot to choose from, before you get tired of it. And it is expensive. That is why Pick ‘n Pay is a trouble-free option: you can buy some bread with salad, or small packets of veggies,or like we did the past week, tomato and cucumber and mix it in various ways with tuna and rice. Add some lettuce, chilli sauce and tomato sauce and voila! You have a winner. How did that chef on Ratatouille say? “Anyone can cook!” And we are bloody brilliant cooks.

When we have a BBQ, there is always something extra, like Braai Bread (we buy it or make it ourselves) or some corn on the cob or an old favourite, garlic bread. Man, that garlic goes down smoothly…

The biltongpotjie is an endeavour in itself, and no, I’m not giving out the recipe, but the people that have tasted it, know. Just ask the professors at the Theology-potjie competition, or the judges at Asterhof and Kollege’s Pot-and Pons- stall last month.

Making food is fun. Eating is nice. When you do all that together with people whose company you enjoy, it becomes a transcendent experience, almost a spiritual experience.

And the references are not that far fetched. Food and the community surrounding a dinner played an important role in the Evangelical tales of Jesus and His disciples.

In Luke 5 we read about the tax collector, Levi, that held a feast to honour Jesus, one of the occasions where the Pharisees started to moan that He wines and dines with sinners and tax collectors. There are frequent references to food, like in Luke 6 verse 1-5 and later in verse 20-26. When Jesus’ feet were anointed with the oil and the prostitute came and dried it with her hair, He was at dinner with a Pharisee.

Striking also is the multiplication of the bread, with the Matthew-versions that stand out for me. The first one takes place just after Jesus has heard about the death of His cousin, John the Baptist. Look what happens here: Jesus tries to get some alone time, but still the people decide to follow Him. He pities them and heal the sick among them. In the end He provides food to all the people, insomuch that there are baskets full left! (After that the whole walking on water with Peter takes place…)

I can also refer to the wedding in Cana, where Jesus turned the water into wine and, of course, to Zaccheus, another tax collector with whom Jesus dines. It is when Jesus are in community with these people, or rather when they are in community with Him, that their lives are changed.

And then the most important of all: the last supper with His disciples, that eventually becomes a prototype for us of true Christian community. When we eat, we share an experience with other people. We don’t just eat because our bodies need food, we also eat because we enjoy it. It is nice to have a good time with our friends and to make an event of the meal. I’m sure that Jesus intended it that way. Our communtiy around the table can become a metaphor of how we can experience community with Jesus: it is an event. Every meal differs and has different tastes and smells than the previous one. Sometimes it is the same as the one before and it doesn’t taste that nice, but actually it is all about the people we eat with.

Our relationship with Jesus is also new everyday, with different nice and less nice experiences. Sometimes it feels as if there is nothing special, as if things are just always the same, but we shouldn’t forget that it remains a “meal” together with Jesus. He is the One that meets us where we are and that never leaves. He feeds us, provide in our needs so abundant that there remain “baskets full” in the end. Even if we can’t see how it will happen right away.

Die Feesmaal (II); of: ‘n Storie oor eet en kosmaak

Sjoe. Ek het nie gedink daai post gaan soveel aftrek kry nie, maar thanx, almal wat dit gelees het! Ek hoop ek praat sense. Ek dink so anyway. Maar kom ons gaan aan na ander dinge:

KOSMAAK!!!!!

Een van die lekkerste dinge vir my is om kos te maak, veral saam met my vriende. Of ons nou net ‘n gewone braai hou, of ons biltongpotjie maak en of dit seekos-stew is – dit word ‘n event op sigself. Dit gaan later nie oor die eindproduk nie, maar oor die hele proses.

Ek en een van my beste vriende, Shaun, like dit vreeslik om te eksperimenteer. Hierdie laaste week of wat in die koshuis word ons ook genoodsaak om te eksperimenteer, want ons eetsaalgeld is op en daarom is ons óf van take-aways, óf van Pick ‘n Pay afhanklik. ‘n Mens kan ook net so lank take-aways eet, selfs al is daar baie om van te kies, voordat ‘n mens dik raak daarvoor. Daarom is Pick ‘n Pay ‘n gerieflike opsie: jy kan vir jou brood koop met slaai, of jy kan klein pakkies groente koop, of soos ons die laaste week gemaak het, tamatie en komkommer koop en dit op allerhande maniere met tuna en rys vermeng. Gooi bietjie chilli sous of tamatiesous by, en ‘n bietjie blaarslaai, en voila! Jy het ‘n wenner. Hoe het daai chef op Ratatouille gesê? “Anyone can cook!” En ons kook moer lekker.

As ons braai, is daar altyd iets ekstra by soos braaibroodjies (ons koop dit of maak dit self) of mielies of ‘n ou favourite, knoffelbrood. Ai, daai knoffel is darem maar lekker…
Die biltongpotjie is ‘n endeavour op sigself, en nee, ek gaan nie die resep weggee nie, maar die wat dit al geproe het, weet. Vra maar die proffies by die Teologie-potjie kompetisie, of die judges by Asterhof en Kollege se Pot-en Pons stalletjie laas maand.

Kosmaak is lekker. Eet is lekker. Wanneer jy dit alles saam met mense doen wie se geselskap jy geniet, word dit ‘n transendente ervaring, byna ‘n geestelike ervaring.

En die verwysing is beslis nie so vergesog nie. Kos en die gemeenskap rondom ‘n ete het in die Evangelie-vertellings van Jesus en sy volgelinge ‘n belangrike rol gespeel:

In Lukas 5 lees ons van die tollenaar, Levi, wat ‘n feesmaal gehou het ter ere van Jesus, een van die occasions waar die fariseërs reeds begin kla het dat Hy saam met sondaars en tollenaars eet en drink. Daar is ook kort-kort verwysings na kos, soos in Lukas 6 vers 1-5 en later in vers 20-26. Toe Jesus se voete met die nardus-olie gesalf is, was dit by ‘n ete saam ‘n Fariseër.

Treffend is ook die vermeerdering van die brood, met die Matteus-weergawes wat vir my uitstaan. Die eerste een vind plaas nadat Jesus gehoor het van sy kleinneef, Johannes die Doper, se dood. Kyk wat gebeur hier: Jesus probeer ‘n bietjie stil tyd kry, maar die mense volg Hom anyway. Hy kry hulle jammer en sien om na die siekes en voorsien op die ou end vir al die mense kos, so ongelooflik dat daar nog ekstra is ná die tyd. (Daarna vind die waterlopery saam Petrus plaas…)

Ek kan nog verwys na die troue in Kana, waar Jesus die water in wyn verander het, en natuurlik na ou Saggeüs, nog ‘n tollenaar by wie Jesus aan tafel gaan. Dis wanneer Jesus in gemeenskap met hierdie mense is, of eerder andersom: wanneer mense in gemeenskap met Jesus is, dat hulle lewens verander word.

En dan die belangrikste van alles: die laaste ete saam Sy dissipels, wat op die ou end vir ons ‘n prototipe van die ware Christelike gemeenskap word. Wanneer ons eet, deel ons ‘n ervaring met ander mense. Ons eet nie net omdat ons liggame kos nodig het nie, ons eet omdat dit lekker is. Dis lekker om saam met mense te kuier en van die ete ‘n event te maak. Ek is seker dat Jesus dit ook so bedoel het. Ons gemeenskap met mekaar om die tafel kan vir ons ‘n metafoor wees hoe ons ons gemeenskap met Jesus kan ervaar: dis ‘n event. Elke ete verskil en het ander smake en geure as die vorige een. Partykeer is dit dieselfde as die vorige keer en dit smaak nie so lekker nie, maar dit gaan eintlik oor die mense saam wie ons eet.

Ons verhouding met Jesus is ook elke dag nuut, met verskillende lekker en minder lekker ervarings. Partykeer voel dit asof daar niks spesiaals is nie, asof dinge maar net altyd dieselfde is, maar ons moet net nie vergeet nie dat dit steeds ‘n “ete” saam Jesus bly. Hy is die Een wat ons kom ontmoet waar ons is en nooit weer van ons af weggaan nie. Hy voed ons, voorsien in ons behoeftes só oorvloedig dat daar op die ou end “mandjies vol” oorbly. Selfs al kan ons nie sien hoe dit gaan gebeur nie.