Easter

Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed.

Easter marks the end of lent and with it, the end of my $3 a day food budget. I learned several things over the past forty some days: I identified with the feelings of an empty stomach, I dreadfully missed patronizing the farmer's market, and eating on $3 a day is practically impossible unless you know how to cook and you actually cook.

I grew up in a rural town attending a low income/poorly educated church. My family always had more than enough food to eat and my mom would often share our surplus with older people in the congregation, especially Peggy. Peggy loved fresh foods, but couldn't afford to purchase them on her SS check, so my mom would always call her when we had extra lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers or other bounty from the garden. One time, I remember Peggy had asked my mom to bring her some red beet tops from my grandpa's garden because she loved them cooked. My grandpa was basically appalled that someone would want the greens he typically discarded. Sometimes as a kid or teenager, I would get annoyed when people would pile up their plates during snack times after church functions. I could never understand why they would bring a 99 cent bag of chips and then eat all the food others brought; it didn't seem fair to me. The second weekend of lent, I went to a rook tournament and took carrot sticks as my snack contribution. However, I ate a hefty plate of snacks, that others brought, that evening. I was somewhat embarrassed for taking so much...but I was hungry. Is food a right?

West Philadelphia has a great farmer's market in Clark Park every Saturday morning. However, I couldn't really afford to buy anything there on my budget. I did splurge twice and bought a baguette and a bunch of kale, but other than that I stuck with produce seconds from the cheap grocery store nearby. I also learned I couldn't go to the grocery store daily, so I went once a week and would spend no more than $21 weekly.

It's extremely hard to eat out on $3 a day...or $21 a week as I ended up doing. One weekend I went to the Damascus Road training and went out for dinner with some of the other participants. I ordered the cheapest thing on the menu and still spent $6. I also found I couldn't buy anything in an airport when I traveled to Canada two weeks ago. I had planned ahead and had granola bars and raisins along so I didn't starve. It was also rather difficult to remain in my budget when I was at my parents' house. My mom offered just about everything I ate...which she said wasn't mooching, but I I didn't really follow the guidelines as strictly as I should have.

On the flip side, it's fairly easy to eat on $3 a day if you cook your own meals. Beans are fairly cheap to make into vegetarian chili or lentil tacos. Yogurt is cheap if you buy a half gallon of milk and make your own. Likewise, dry oatmeal in bulk is cheaper than packaged cereal, and frozen vegetables can be bought on sale. A bag of whole wheat flour lasts a while and needs only a bit of yeast, salt and honey to be made into bread. However, all of this requires time and skill...basically you have to cook. I found this rather easy, but apparently I'm an exception.

Two weeks ago I attended a thesis presentation on acculturation effects on the diets of Vietnamese Americans in Philadelphia. Both the older generation, born in Vietnam, and the younger generation, born in America, were surveyed and there was a significant difference between the diets of the two groups. Those born in Vietnam had a higher BMI and consumed more sweets, ice cream and packaged foods than those born in the US. After the presentation, several of my professors (as this was presented in the Nutrition dept) were talking about the fact that those born in the US had a higher consumption of 'broken rice'. This is important because 'broken rice' is served mainly in restaurants here, meaning the younger generation eats out more. Everyone in the room agreed that the younger generation, mainly those in their 20s, eat out more and prepare less and less food for themselves; these people are busy, don't know how to cook or don't want to be bothered to make food for one person. I was shocked...I cook food for myself, and I don't mean grilled cheese sandwiches every day. I mean real food...like soaking dry beans for soup, cooking rice to go with a pumpkin stir fry, or making yeast bread without a machine. What has happened to us that we have lost this art?

My church's lenten theme this year was 'holding on and letting go'. I've struggled, and probably will continue to struggle, with what I'm to hold on to in regards to the life I had in Cambodia and what to let go of. As I follow God, he's changed me...and I don't fit so nicely in the places I used to...and this pains me as relationships I held dear aren't as strong as they once were. As my devotional reading on March 25 said, "commitment to follow God's path can change everything about our lives, our relationships, even our politics." I often found myself questioning what happens after this change has occurred, after we become someone that is more like God and less like the person people know. This morning, Pastor Lorie message was quite fitting; living in Easter means you carry the pain, suffering and loss of Good Friday with you into the hope and redeeming love of Easter morning. These two things aren't separate events; by experiencing despair and complete brokenness, the radiant joy of resurrection can break through in abundant life.