Why do you think John’s diet is included in his bio? While unusual to us, locust was permitted in the Law along with other hopping insects. (See Leviticus 11:20-23) John was called “demon possessed” because of his lifestyle. Jesus was called a “glutton and a drunk” because of his. What labels with negative connotations have you given people for what they eat or don’t eat? Why do you think food and eating companions were such a stumbling block for Jesus’ listeners? Has someone’s diet been a stumbling block for you? How?
The latest label is “foodie”. The name connotes a person who enjoys eating quality food. Another recent label is “locavore”–meaning a person who eats food that is grown locally. What are some other labels? How would someone label you? How would you label yourself? What does your label say about your relationship to food?
Tongue on Fire 
I enjoy food. I enjoy textures, flavors, flavor combinations, color, presentation. Eating is a very sensory experience. Food appeals to our God-given senses of taste, touch, smell and sight. I suppose the crunch of a great tempura shrimp even appeals to the sense of hearing. All that sensuality is much of the reason that food can so easily become an idol for us. It is the reason many of us become “foodies”.
Yesterday, I received an announcement about the upcoming Good Food Festival in Chicago on March 14-16. It was obviously targeted to “foodies”. The cost for the 3-day extravaganza that included food prepared by celebrity chefs, introductions to 150 local organic produce farms, tours of cutting-edge community gardens and workshops on food preservation: $270 at the door (or $220 in advance online). Seeing the price suddenly brought me back to reality. That’s more than many poor families get in SNAP benefits for a month. It kind of made me nauseous. It made me realize that one cannot be poor and a “foodie” at the same time. The festival reinforces an image of “foodies” as elitist food snobs who only shop at Whole Foods, who turn up their noses at anything that isn’t labeled “organic”, who spend all their time on a quest for the best “craft” beer or “artisanal” bread or cheese, and who seem (by their pursuit of culinary nirvana) oblivious to the plight of poor families who survive on Coke and cheese puffs. I know that is a terrible generalization and stereotype and I apologize to all my foodie acquaintances (and poor families who try to eat well).
I don’t want to be a “foodie” in the worse sense of the word. I want my enjoyment of good food to lead me to advocate for good food for all. I’ll spend $270 (or $220 in advance) in another way–including sharing good food with the hungry.
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