local lent: the first noodle

Noodles are blog posts which describe the writer's daily activities, such as eating, reading, or watching television. It is generally considered advisable for serious bloggers to avoid noodle posts, as few readers are interested in hearing about the ordinary routines of life. Unless, of course, they have good reason to be curious about someone else's breakfast.

Monday was the first day of Orthodox Lent, and I actually didn't eat breakfast. Nor lunch. I did have tea, which is of course not local, but as that wasn't a meal, it doesn't count.

So my first local meal was Monday night dinner. I decided to start with the southern-themed meal, feeling that a regional theme was appropriate under the circumstances. I used this recipe for the squash, except that it was yellow squash instead of acorn squash, and I substituted local honey for the maple syrup. This recipe made a good side dish of mashed rutabegas, and of course a side salad was easy, with all my winter greens.

The meal was delicious, for a whole host of reasons beyond the obvious. It was my first time eating rutabegas, and I was surprised to discover that I love them (I will definitely try to grow them myself next year). I had never eaten plain baked squash either, but I was amazed by how sweet and filling it was. And I didn't even miss having grains in the meal. But beyond the simple taste, beyond mere hunger, there was something tremendously satisfying about this meal. I ate more thoughtfully, more intentionally. I was more aware. This was more than a meal; it was a story, a story that I became a part of. And in sensing the bigness of the story that began before me and will continue after me, in connecting with the grandeur of creation, I can recognize more fully the grandeur of God. All this can be contained, or at least glimpsed, in a meal that is eaten thoughtfully, with awareness of all that goes into it to make it what it is, and all this I tasted on the first evening of Lent.