Feast of Agape, Potluck meals and Last Suppers
This paint-by-number picture hung in our dining room. Although it was prominently displayed on a wall by itself, it largely went unnoticed. My brother said it was a gift for his birthday that he tossed aside…too much detail for him to attend to. Destined to be sent off for donation, my Dad rescued it and decided to try his hand at painting. This is not Dad's original. A copy of another, but most closely resembles the one I remember so fondly.
Sometimes the things we think we have forgotten, or perhaps thought we did not notice, or have any impact or influence on us, come calling. This is one of those things.
Thinking back on it, it was a bit like a ground wire. The patience with which Dad lovingly filled in every little space with its designated color—minute by minute, hour after hour, day after day, is quite wonderful. Maybe without knowing it, the painting left an impression on me—not so much for its subject matter, but for the love and patience infused into the paint. Perhaps even some joy, self love and esteem for the task at hand—slowly advancing to completion. Proudly hanging it in the dining room made sense. He was also a woodworker and made the frame.
Recipes are like paintings made with food. Some, like paint-by-number images, start with fundamental directives to help aspiring cooks learn the measuring amounts. As with the tiny pots of paint, ingredients are the medium. The plate is the frame.
Not everyone is inclined to be a Leonardo da Vinci or a culinary expert, but two ingredients that serve us all well are love and patience. The essence of slow food.
Early Christians observed ritual meals called agape feasts. Traditionally, meals with each person bringing something to the table and eaten in a common dining area.
Today, we call this ‘potluck’…I think it lacks the warmth of an agape feast. It downplays the food that people prepare to share. The time and investment that goes in to the dish is not luck, it’s love. I vote to change potluck to 'Feast of Agape', shared from the upper room in our hearts.
With this coming Memorial Day, celebrate with your friends and family in the spirit of slow food and prepare your food agape style. It will be remembered for years to come.
History Tip:
What time was the Last Supper?
Mark’s Gospel says that the Last Supper, which was the Jewish Passover meal, began in the evening. The Gospel then goes on to demonstrate that this was just at 6 o’clock in the evening, because the author of this gospel divided the final twenty-four hours up into eight segments of exactly three hours each, starting at 6 o’clock on Thursday evening and ending at 6 o’clock on Friday evening. The Passover meal traditionally lasted three hours and ended with singing a hymn.
PS.
Dinner, Supper or Feast…you choose. But please…no more use of the word potluck.
dinner |dinər|
noun
the main meal of the day, taken either around midday or in the evening.
• a formal evening meal, typically one in honor of a person or event.
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French disner (infinitive used as a noun: see dine ).
supper |səpər|
noun
an evening meal, typically a light or informal one : we had a delicious cold supper | I was sent to bed without any supper.
• a late-night dinner.
• an evening social event at which food is served.
PHRASES
sing for one's supper earn a favor or benefit by providing a service in return : the cruise lecturers are academics singing for their supper.
DERIVATIVES
supperless adjective
feast |fēst|
noun
a large meal, typically one in celebration of something : a wedding feast.
• a plentiful supply of something enjoyable, esp. for the mind or senses : the concert season offers a feast of classical music.
• an annual religious celebration.
• a day dedicated to a particular saint : the feast of St. Joseph.
verb [ intrans. ]
eat and drink sumptuously : the men would congregate and feast after hunting.
• ( feast on) eat large quantities of : we sat feasting on barbecued chicken and beer.
• [ trans. ] give (someone) a plentiful and delicious meal : he was feasted and invited to all the parties.
PHRASES
skeleton at the feast a person or thing that brings gloom or sadness to an otherwise pleasant or celebratory occasion.
feast one's eyes on gaze at with pleasure.
feast or famine either too much of something or too little.
DERIVATIVES
feaster noun
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French feste (noun), fester (verb), from Latin festa, neuter plural of festus ‘joyous.’ Compare with fête and fiesta .
potluck |pätlək|
noun
used in reference to a situation in which one must take a chance that whatever is available will prove to be good or acceptable : he could take potluck in a town not noted for its hotels.
• a meal or party to which each of the guests contributes a dish : [as adj. ] a potluck supper.
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