Food For Thought

 

Food For Thought

Food is important to every culture. This is from my second trip to China which I spent at a Christian orphanage in rural Hunan Province. It was also the first time I was not with any other Americans/native English speakers.  It is from August 4, 2010.

My body is adjusting after forty-eight hours back in the US but I still am not sleeping well. One of the by products of my thirty-five days in China was that I lost twelve pounds, all of it I would guess during my close to four weeks at the orphanage. The food was repetitive but very well prepared, plentiful, and spicy. All meals were based on rice which was cooked to perfection. Often, there were noodles and always cooked vegetables to mix with the rice. Several times, meat was part of the meal as well; duck, chicken, or beef. Often, eggs were mixed in with everything. On about five occasions, we also had watermelon which was eaten first. Surprisingly, the children ate with spoons instead of chopsticks. The food was plentiful and the kids went back for seconds. No one but me drank anything with their food. The kids only drink water except for a number of nights when they were given powdered milk packets, a real treat. There was no dessert. There was a rotation for the older kids to help serve and clean up. Most everyone ate outside unless it was raining.

All the children are thin but not from lack of food. Many of them ate more than me but they are very active. There was no bread and no sugar which I think contribute to the weight problems of American youth. It took a week or so for my body to adjust but I had no major digestive problems. The cooks sometimes made corn on the cob for Lavender, my translator, and me. They also sometimes set aside some dishes for me without so much seasoning. I had some granola bars to tide me over but it was a good culinary experience for me! One concession to my caffeine habit: I averaged three coffee packets per day, mixed by shaking in an empty Pepsi bottle.

Applicable quote of the day:
"To the ruler, the people are heaven. To the people, food is heaven."

Ancient Chinese Proverb

God bless,

Steve

Luke 18:1