7. I learned really quickly that if you want to eat, you will eat whatever is in front of you. Regardless of culture, or caloric intake, you will eat it. Otherwise, you're gonna be hungry and it's your own fault for not being thankful you even have food.
Many of you have probably seen my pictures on Facebook by now of the foods that we were able to experience this past week. It was fun coming to breakfast every morning to learn what our new cultural norm of the dining hall was going to be that day. Even though our cultural norms changed every day, the purpose of our meals did not.
Yes, the thought of eating cultural food was hard. Mainly because I'm an American and I come from a place that consumes 60% of the food in the world and has high rates of obesity related issues. But once we learned how important food really is going to be over the next eleven months it changed everything.
It shuts up your complaining of hunger really quick when you learn that most of the communities and families that you will be working with wants nothing more than to be a servant to you by feeding you. That their graciousness pours from their hands to your mouth as they buy the food, toil in the kitchen, dish it up and present it to you. They want nothing more than for you to be fulfilled by what they have put in front of you. Yes, what you get you may not like, or be able to pronounce or in some cases your gag reflex might get tested at the very sight/smell of it, but you will appreciate it.
Your appreciation comes from knowing their heart's desire in preparing this meal. Knowing that they themselves and most likely their own children still haven't eaten because you haven't and won't until you are fulfilled. Knowing that they may find their validity in preparing a meal that you can enjoy in community inside their home.
It all comes down to this. Your only job in the situation is not to figure out if it works for your diet plan or count up the caloric intake or make sure that you get a better portion than the person next to you. Your job is to accept what is put before you with grace and do so with a grateful heart. I promise you if you do that, you'll realize you're sitting at a table that is worthy of the King and you're lucky you get to sit at His table.
When's the last time you ate with a grateful heart and not just a prayer preceding the first bite?
