A Flashback to the Fall of a "Foodie"

This was bedtime. Yep I wore my coat, gloves, and hat to bed. ;)

Flashback...

South Africa, July 2011

I was bundled up in my winter coat with my hat and scarf fitted snugly around my head because honestly there is no heat in these buildings and the temp is a lovely 40 degrees F and continuing to plunge. I quickly tucked my gloves into my pockets as I grabbed my mess kit for dinner and headed down the stairs to get in line with about 60 other hungry people.

The Lovely Miss Winnie

The Fabulous Miss Nisie

 I never quite knew what we might be eating, but Miss Winnie and Miss Nisie never disappointed us, even on those nights when I had no clue what I was consuming. All that really mattered was that it tasted fantastic and it was always served hot from the fire. Why ask questions? 

Tonight I was ecstatic to discover we would be eating some delicious curry. Score! I love curry, but this would be followed by jelly and custard? Jelly being jello with hot custard poured all over it.

 Hmmm…Okay I am slightly confused about this part, but I was up for trying something new.

 I excitedly brought my steaming hot plate of delicious looking curry over to the wood picnic table style seating. Gratefully I sat down next to one of my new South African friends and we quickly began chatting about our day out on the mission site.

 I remember watching as one of my teens finished up his plate and headed back for seconds...or maybe it was thirds? (Oh how the cooks just adored him!)  He was a 6 foot tall, 15 yr old, and he seemed to burn those calories as fast as he could shovel them in.

Do you see how tall he is?!

As he left to procure another mounding plate of the steamy curry I remember glancing down at her plate and finding myself a bit shocked at what looked like fairly small portions on it. In my unending curiosity I asked her about it. (Oh goodness! Now that I think about it, maybe that was rude?)

“D” was so patient with me, as she shared her views on food. (It went something along the lines of how we should eat just the amount each of us needs to fuel our body.)  She, then, very politely shared how she was a bit confounded by the large amounts of food we eat. (“We,” being the Americans.) 

She then pointed out that perhaps we view food differently between our two cultures. There was nothing offensive in her tone. She was by no means calling any of us "fat", but her point was made and it has never left me. Ever since then I have asked myself the self professed, "Foodie" can I get to the point where food is more about fuel for my body and less about my momentary cravings.

Fast forward to right now..

I am 2 days shy of completing my first month in the "Seven. A Mutiny Against Excess" fast and in my next post I will be sharing how God used the book Seven, and this last month to rock my little foodie world and so much more.