Come, Let Me Feed Your Soul

by Catherine Ipcizade | More from this Blogger

22 Dec 2006 10:12 PM

How do you feel when you cook for someone? Are you feeding their stomach? Are you serving a basic need to provide them with the nourishment necessary for survival? Or are you perhaps feeding their soul as well as their stomach?

As you prepare your holiday table this season, why not let your soul guide your hands? As you prepare your famous stuffing or sweet potatoes or your amazing coca cola basted ham, are you thinking about how your guests will feel eating your food? Is the business of the day and the fact that everyone will soon arrive or will be waiting on you make you frazzled beyond belief?

If so, take a breath. Take another breath. Then realize that cooking is as creative an endeavor as any other I've known. With your hands you can create something that may stay in the heart of soul of someone else for a lifetime. By throwing a pinch of this or a tad of that into a pan, you may in fact be creating a family heirloom.

So this holiday season, when you welcome your guests to the table, do so deliberately. Say to yourself, "Come, let me feed your soul." And mean it. And when they lift their fork and when they say, "Ahhhh," or when they simple smile and nod their head in approval, you'll know you've fed more than their bellies. You've evoked something in them that only food can, a sort of comfort, a joy even. That's what food does.

And don't forget to write down your favorite recipes. You may think you'll always remember them, but you may not. And later, when someone asks you for your delicious cookie recipe, you'll be able to share it with them. And one day, when your children are grown and in homes of their own, you can perhaps share your recipes with them, so that they may always have a piece of your soul at their own dinner table.

"Come, let me feed your soul." I'll be saying it this year-will you?

Oven Love

Learn more about Catherine Ipcizade

Cathy Ipcizade is 30 years old and currently resides in Southern California. Prior to coming to California she grew up in Arizona.

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Lisa P (24013) 23 Dec 2006 07:19 AM

I've always felt this way about food. Friends in need get food and then a shoulder to lean on. Loved ones get fat during the holidays. "Food is love" is something I've struggled with in past years simply because when I needed something for my soul, I've turned to food.

Feeding for the soul is a great way to share our talents and creativity with loved ones, but people like me need to be careful not to turn to the dark side of this coin. :-)