A Passover Thought

Passover_Seder_Plate by Sheynhertz-Unbayg from Wikimedia Commons

I had a great conversation today with a colleague as he ate sardines and matzoh for lunch.

He made the point that a full Passover seder (the traditional one, hosted on the first or second night of the holiday) really got at the essence of the flight from Egypt: take whatever one had -- no time to allow the bread to rise -- and subsist on what was available.....

"Experiential learning in a nutshell," I said.

He agreed.

What other events, religious observances,  items of culture embody significant experience?

Bodily Memory with FOOD

Last Monday (August 8, 2011), two stories from two sources converged. The topic? How food can shape the offspring. Or, the power of bodily memory...?

First, NPR reported on how the flavors a mother eats while pregnant can influence the child's reactions to foods later in life.
Baby's Palate And Food Memories Shaped Before Birth
by Gretchen Cuda-Kroen.

While not fool-proof, greater exposure in utero can increase acceptance of a greater variety of foods while growing up. The story reports some other interesting findings.

Then CBS's the Early Show had a segment by Marysol Castro about Marje Vongerichten's examination of her adopted past called "The Kimchi Chronicles." The point for us here is Vongerichten's account of having a 'flood of memories' return to her once she ate the food that her biological mother had cooked for her. Below is the video of the interview:





The website for "The Kimchi Chronicles" click here.

Two stories on the same day about the how food can shape someone converge.

So, yes, in a way, we are what we eat... and the body has memory...

No wonder I can crave grits, huh?