I keep writing about the hymnal. It must be boring Coral, Melody, Shannon, and Maria to tears. So maybe I should write about food for a while. (Of course, probably there will be something about the hymnal mixed in with my musings on food!)
We were at a Higher Things conference once. Klem Preus was speaking on the Gospel of John and evangelism. Somehow it came up that his mom is a really good cook. Somebody teased that he oughtn't let his wife hear him say that. He explained that it didn't matter because his wife wasn't a good cook. Gasps of horror ensued! He said that about his wife?? In public?? He was a little surprised by the response; he said she knew she couldn't cook, and what was the big deal?
For some reason, that really stuck in my brain. (I do remember some of the things Pr Preus wanted us to learn from John too!) Y'know, it wouldn't offend me in the least if my husband got up in front of huge group of people and told them that his wife didn't know the first thing about decorating or landscaping or flowers or anything about making a home pretty. It would be a perfectly true statement, and it wouldn't bother me if he said it, any more than it would bother me if he said his wife has brown hair.
What I wonder is: Would people respond with gasps of horror to "My wife can't make the house pretty" as people responded to "My wife can't cook"? For some reason, I think most of us think it's more integral to "wifeliness" to cook than to make a home pretty. Or maybe that's just my perspective because I love to eat good food so very very much.
(And yes, I know this is an incredibly sexist post. Deal with it!)
Monday, November 06, 2006
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Making a house pretty doesn't make a home feel welcoming in the same way that the smell of yummy food does... who cares what the house looks like, as long as the scent of bread or soup or brownies lingers in the air?
ReplyDeleteAnd besides, why do you need to know how to make a house pretty? That's what Trading Spaces is for...
i think that food is an integral part of human relationships in a way that location cannot every fill. i mean, i can fellowship with you in a beautiful park or the train to Chicago or in the grocery store, but there's a pretty big difference between homemade bread and saltine crackers. maybe part of it too is how integral food is to our sacrament/ordinance of communion. i could probably delve into that much more fully but i have homework to do....just a thought.
ReplyDeleteHey, Rose, I hadn't thought of what you said in your first sentence. Thanks for pointing that out.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if these things are connected to the Lord's Supper and that that is food. But there are things percolating in my mind about those topics. I too have homework to do first... but my "homework" has more to do with ironing and clean floors and stuff like that.
I was at that talk and remember clearly Pr. Preus' statement. I was one of those who instinctively gasped in horror, and was embarrassed for both Klemet and his wife. Why?
ReplyDeleteTwo of my myriad weaknesses, are that I'm too sensitive, and that I'm competitive. Cooking for the family, and for company, is such a typical wifely vocation. Women take pride in their special recipes or how well they stretch the dollar at the grocery. If it's something that I'm supposed to do, I not only want to do it, but I want to excel at it. In some ways that's good: my family gets good meals, lots of variety, good nutrition, value for the dollar, and all that. It's not good when I assume others think the same way I do. I figure all wives want to be good cooks. Pr. Preus must know that that wouldn't offend his wife, and Mrs. Preus must be a person confident in her vocations, and overly sensitive to stereotypes.
I guess I could compare it to computer know-how. I don't mind when Rob says I don't know how to do much on a computer. It's true, and that doesn't bruise my ego.