I admired the crops as our car sped through the countryside, seeing nearly-ripe wheat, rapeseed, corn, pasture and some occasional cows.
Food was top of mind during our recent family sojourn to Germany. I find myself taking photos of most everything I eat. It seems as if all the food is made with love and care. There is no harried lunch hour; it fades into early afternoon. The coffee: strong and black –no decaf here! And there’s lots of milk for lattes.
While in Germany, we had the privilege of attending a wedding. The feast we enjoyed at the celebration was indescribable! The pre-wedding “plate breaking” celebration had a hearty soup and fruity beverages – with and without alcohol. Oh, and some German beer, too! Many of my memories of this trip center around food…guess I am a foodie at heart.
Even the large shopping mall near our hotel featured food: four — yes 4!– delis with local, fresh organic produce no less. The lunch meats and sausages were magnificently displayed. Take-away foods were displayed with TLC; they could have been NASCO food replicas! And each of the deli stands was busy with customers. Food in Germany, and other European countries, is the center of attention.
Why have we lost this here in the U. S.? How can we gain back some of the respect for food and the time it allows us to pause, visit with friends and family, laugh, and savor flavors?
I know that on our farm, each day is busy: breakfast is hard to fit in; lunch is eaten on the run because we are often off to pick up a part, make a deposit at the bank or get to a meeting or appointment on time. Jobs off the farm offer 30 or maybe 60 minutes for lunch, which we often use for other activities such as shopping, running errands or finishing up a project. So lunch break is not always really lunch (with food).
However, dinner has been a bit less hectic this summer, due to the fact that we have spent many warm summer evenings on the patio with our intern, Jaylene Lesher from Pennsylvania. We took the time to visit with her about a far-ranging array of topics, many of them concerning cows, of course. My point is that we MADE the time to talk together.
Our trip to Germany brought this back into focus for me. I think I will start to make more time to “savor the flavors.” Will you?
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