I continued cooking until the dish was ready. I served with rice as suggested and attempted to eat in solidarity with the Sudanese. The dish was rather bland (and, in case you forgot, slimy). I choked down as many bites as I could, all the while trying to remember those who have fewer food choices (or no choices at all). Which leads me to problem four: I could not eat all the food that I had prepared.

At David Creech’s suggestion, many of us ELCA World Hunger staff have gone vegetarian for Lent. (He explains why in previous posts, like yesterday’s.) Admittedly, I’m on the “vegetarian lite” plan – only abstaining from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays. But even so, and even only a week into it, the experience has been educational for me.

I’ve never attempted to be vegetarian, but nor am I especially carnivorous. In fact, I find nothing appetizing about a steak or a roast; big slabs of meat kind of gross me out. At the same time, I really like most vegetables. I eat vegetarian meals regularly, though not exclusively, simply out of preference. So I didn’t think skipping meat two days a week would be particularly difficult – or even different – and I liked the reasons for doing it. I agreed to participate without hesitation.

And this is where the role of meat in my life and culture began asserting itself. I myself had no hesitation about an experiment in vegetarianism. Not so my family. I am the primary meal-maker in the house, and there was swift resistance to the idea of several weeks of a vegetarian menu. Not keen on preparing different food for myself and them, we agreed on the two-day-a-week plan. Lesson one: there is social pressure for me to eat meat, even in my own home. Or maybe especially there, since unlike a restaurant, we don’t each get exactly what we want every meal. My choices are tied to the choices of others.

I’m also learning that meat can be difficult to avoid. Compared to much of the world, meat here is cheap and plentiful, and therefore ubiquitous. It is on offer everywhere I go, and often, it’s no more expensive than non-meat choices. Last Wednesday, I consciously looked for vegetarian choices on a menu and discovered that there weren’t many. Lesson two: meaty meals can be easier to obtain than vegetarian ones. There’s a cultural expectation and incentive to eat meat every day.

Then there’s the challenge of remembering what day it is. It was sheer luck that I didn’t eat meat yesterday. At lunchtime, I opened the refrigerator and saw some leftover soup. I considered it, but decided that a leftover beet burger sounded better, so I had that instead. It wasn’t until I started thinking about dinner that I realized it was Wednesday and I almost ate Southwestern Chicken soup for lunch. Lesson three: when you live surrounded by a wide variety of plentiful food, it’s easy to be careless about what you eat.

All of this awareness in only a week! It’ll be interesting to see what else we learn – both individually and as a group – by the time Easter rolls around.

Sorry to post so late (though technically it is still Wednesday), sometimes days don’t go as planned. Anyhow, I am now one week into my Lenten fast from meat and the discipline has led to much thinking. If you recall, I embarked on this fast with two aims in mind. First, I wanted to be in solidarity with those who never get to eat meat of any sort. I saw the fast as an opportunity to be mindful of those who are hungry and to offer prayers on their behalf. Second, I think that our eating practices matter. For example, excessive meat consumption costs too much, both in terms of feed and natural resources. I saw this fast as an opportunity to experiment with a vegetarian diet and through the process observe how I felt and maybe even find a few new dishes.

I began Lent with a true fast on Ash Wednesday. I did find many opportunities to offer quick prayers throughout the day as the “hunger rumblings” made their presence known. I was somewhat surprised because it’s not uncommon for me to reach the end of any given day and to realize that I had not eaten a thing all day. When I was intentional about abstaining, however, I found myself longing for food. Funny how that happens.

At the end of the day, when it was time to break fast (yes, my break fast was a dinner), I was struck by the fact that I could choose to be filled. Moreover, because I had not eaten all day, I did not want to put just anything in my body. I wanted to make sure it was somewhat healthy. In that moment, I realized that my desire to be in solidarity with those who are hungry in some ways could not be fulfilled. It is still an option for me to be sated (and to choose what will sate me).

Since then I have been meatless, though eating fairly regularly. I have found myself wanting meat periodically, and I have used those opportunities to reflect on God’s grace and to pray for those who are hungry. I have also found that at the end of a meal I am not always satisfied. I have just a general desire for more. This again has led to reflection on and prayer for those who are never satisfied.

In the last few days, the desire for meat has been less frequent (though I’m still not always satisfied at the end of a meal). I think that consuming less meat is a real possibility for me. If I can go vegetarian cold turkey, surely I can cut meat out of one or two meals out a week.

These are some of my thoughts one week into the fast. As you can tell, I’ve not had the chance yet to try some new recipes (though I am looking forward to Friday’s dinner). I would love to hear how your fasts are going and the thinking that has accompanied them. Please feel free to leave your reflections in the comments (or if you like, email them straight to me).

David Creech

Here’s a Sudanese recipe for a dish called Bamia from Food for Life. I am going to try Bamia this Friday as a part of my Lenten discipline (which, by the way, has been very enlightening so far, and I’m not even a week into it!). I selected the recipe because it looks relatively quick and easy.

2-3 chopped onions
2-3 fresh chopped tomatoes
1 kg (2.2 lbs) fresh okra
2-3 tsp oil
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tsp coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Serves 3 people
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Heat oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions for two minutes. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Stir in the tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a string boil and cook for five minutes while stirring often. Trim the okra, slice into half-inch rounds and stir into the mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes and serve hot over rice.

I’ll post next Monday on how it goes. Also, be sure to check out the blog this Wednesday–I’ll post some of my reflections and experiences of the fast thus far. Feel free to comment with your recipes and stories too!

David Creech

Just about everyone on the World Hunger team has decided to abstain from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays through Lent. I think I’m personally going to give up meat for the whole of Lent (Mary, are you still up for it?). I am actually very excited about it–we will use the fast as an opportunity to be in solidarity with those who never eat meat, we will explore ways in which we can consume less meat more regularly, and we will be able to share recipes and experiences, some of which will find their way onto the blog. (FYI, some of us will be using the new LWF cookbook, Food for Life, to help us with recipes.)

When I’ve told people of my plans, I’ve seen several reactions. Since fasting can be in some ways a foreign discipline to our consumer driven culture, I thought I would briefly share what has (and what has not) motivated me to give up meat for Lent.

From the length of this post (and its meanderings), I suspect you can tell that I’m still working to articulate my ideas on the whole thing. I welcome your feedback and comments.

David Creech

I just read an interesting report from the Global Policy Forum that makes important connections between food and finance. One little factoid that struck me: more than half of U.S. grain and nearly 40% of world grain is being used to feed livestock. The author of the report cites a 1997 news release from a Cornell ecologist who suggests that the U.S. could feed 800 million people with the grain that livestock eat. Granted, not all the grain that cattle eat is suitable for human consumption (thank you Mark Goetz for pointing that out to me), but again this underscores for me how lowering our own meat consumption could be an effective way to lower food costs and perhaps improve food distribution (to say nothing of the amazing environmental benefits of consuming less meat).

On a related note, Lent is just nine days away (and yes, as you may have already guessed, it is my favorite church season). One way to experiment with consuming less meat would be to practice the ancient and venerable tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays (and Wednesdays if you wish!) for the six weeks of Lent. Or if you’re adventurous, you could fast from meat for the whole 40 days. I am tempted to do just that, and I would probably succumb to peer pressure if I heard from enough people who would join me…

David Creech

The Gospel text for Sunday, March 8, “The Raising of Lazarus,” is found in John 11:1–45. This has been one of my favorite texts for years, ever since I edited an LWT article. The author* wrote something along the lines of “Jesus saved Lazarus from premature death. Unlike Jesus, Lazarus will die again. As followers of Jesus, that’s our challenge, too…to save our neighbors from premature death.

Until that day, this text spoke to me about what Jesus could do (raise people from the dead) and what Jesus was about to do (head to Jerusalem and the cross). Now, when I hear this passage of Scripture I also hear a reminder of what I can do. I am response-able for helping to save my neighbor from premature death.

Premature death: One child dies every five seconds from hunger-related causes. The average life expectancy of a female in Zimbabwe is 37 years; the average life expectancy of a female in the United States is 80 years.**

Life-saving difference: Literacy programs teach parents how to read, and scholarship programs help their children attend graduate from primary school and beyond; wells and reservoirs bring life-giving water to whole communities; animal and agriculture projects help families put food on the table and money in the bank. ELCA domestic hunger grants help congregations, organizations, and ministries help neighbors close to home meet today’s needs and build a better future.

Response-able: We can give generously to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. We can send advocacy e-mails. We can donate our time and volunteer. Throughout the year we can link our congregations to ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Response.

With God’s grace and spirit: Our eyes open to the needs around us. Our arms open to embrace neighbors we’ll never meet. Our hearts open to care about the people behind the statistics. Our imaginations open to see the possibilities of God. Our hands open in service and generosity.

*I believe the author to be the Rev. Phyllis Kersten, but my sources are unavailable for confirmation.
**The appendices at the back of Bread for the World Institute’s annual reports are a great source for statistical information.

Hi, folks! My first post on “Hunger Rumblings” is very practical in nature, as it’s time to order resources for Lent, as Ash Wednesday is February 6. Help your congregation, Sunday School class, circle, committee or other group “take on” for Lent…a journey to feed the soul to gain courage and commitment to feed the hungry. Blessings on your heads! Sue-s

1. ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal’s “God’s Math” 40-day plus calendar and coin box.
40-day calendar: Free. ISBN 978-6-0002-2015-0; 1 pkg=25 calendars.
Coin box: Free. ISBN 978-6-0002-2004-2; 1 pkg=25 boxes.
Request these and other ELCA World Hunger materials by calling 800-638-3522 or by visiting the ELCA Resource catalog online.

2. The ELCA World Hunger Lenten Fellowship Leader’s Guide, pp. 7–11 of the Advent 2007–Easter 2008 edition of ELCA World Hunger Congregation Connections. Request a free copy of Congregation Connections (800-638-3522) or by visiting the ELCA Resource Catalog online store.

3. Order Eco-palms by February 20 for Palm/Passion Sunday.
Visit www.lwr.org/palms to order.

4. Sign up and receive daily environmental Lenten devotions online.
Subscribe to the ELCA’s daily 2008 environmental Lentenreflections, “Living Earth: A 40-Day Reflection on OurRelationship With God’s Creation” at www.elca.org/advocacy
This is a limited subscription; the first e-mail will arrive onAsh Wednesday and the last e-mail will arrive Easter Sunday.