I think I inherited my father's tastebuds - we are both really sensitive to the flavoring and taste/texture of food. This can be a good thing since both of us love to cook and experiment with food, but it also makes it easier for us to neglect self-control and moderation. In high school, my friends jokingly gave me the nickname "hollow leg" because they figured that's where all the food I ate went. I ate as much as most guys (and more than some) and I prided myself on that. I've never been an expensive eater (I just don't believe food has to cost a lot in order to taste good) so it wasn't that I was spending too much money. It's more that I want to try all types of cuisines and I am always on the lookout for more places that are cheap and tasty. I guess the most fitting word is insatiable.
But at what point does a deep love for food become gluttony? This question first crossed my mind 7-8 years ago when I was an attendee at NYTS. A pastor shared about how he used to eat humungous portions, but after he received the Holy Spirit, he suddenly no longer needed to eat so much. His spiritual fulfillment was manifested physically. That started me thinking about whether I loved food a little too much.
Did I put in more efforts into my foodie interests than I put into pursuing God? (I will drive far for a specific restaurant/dish but would I do the same for a mid-week Bible study?) I also get suuuper cranky when I am hungry. Can this be something that sometimes hinders the progress of my faith? It definitely makes fasting difficult! I realize now that I would often turn to the comforts of food when I was feeling homesick in Boston. I would first turn to food and if that made me feel better, I would not even end up talking to God about it.
Fast-forward to this year. I started writing Yelp reviews due to some friends who were Yelp elites (I had previously only logged onto Yelp once in a blue moon to look up suggestions when traveling to a new city). I was surprised when I was contacted soon after by the Yelp team to join the elite team. I got free tickets to a musical and had a great time with a friend, and got into a food tasting event held in an rustic Shakespeare theater. Yelp had totally won my heart. Before I ordered at a restaurant, I would want to know what reviewers recommended on Yelp. If I got to decide where to eat, I would want to try one of the places I had bookmarked on Yelp. After all, there are bajillion places to try (like Jonathan Gold's list of 99 Things to Eat in LA Before You Die) but so little time! It got to the point that when we ate at places I didn't think that highly of or repeatedly ate at the same places, I would feel restless and almost think it was a "waste" of a meal opportunity. I was turning into a food snob.
The following verses were mentioned in a recent sermon and I felt they were a reminder not to be controlled by my desire for food:
But at what point does a deep love for food become gluttony? This question first crossed my mind 7-8 years ago when I was an attendee at NYTS. A pastor shared about how he used to eat humungous portions, but after he received the Holy Spirit, he suddenly no longer needed to eat so much. His spiritual fulfillment was manifested physically. That started me thinking about whether I loved food a little too much.
Did I put in more efforts into my foodie interests than I put into pursuing God? (I will drive far for a specific restaurant/dish but would I do the same for a mid-week Bible study?) I also get suuuper cranky when I am hungry. Can this be something that sometimes hinders the progress of my faith? It definitely makes fasting difficult! I realize now that I would often turn to the comforts of food when I was feeling homesick in Boston. I would first turn to food and if that made me feel better, I would not even end up talking to God about it.
Fast-forward to this year. I started writing Yelp reviews due to some friends who were Yelp elites (I had previously only logged onto Yelp once in a blue moon to look up suggestions when traveling to a new city). I was surprised when I was contacted soon after by the Yelp team to join the elite team. I got free tickets to a musical and had a great time with a friend, and got into a food tasting event held in an rustic Shakespeare theater. Yelp had totally won my heart. Before I ordered at a restaurant, I would want to know what reviewers recommended on Yelp. If I got to decide where to eat, I would want to try one of the places I had bookmarked on Yelp. After all, there are bajillion places to try (like Jonathan Gold's list of 99 Things to Eat in LA Before You Die) but so little time! It got to the point that when we ate at places I didn't think that highly of or repeatedly ate at the same places, I would feel restless and almost think it was a "waste" of a meal opportunity. I was turning into a food snob.
The following verses were mentioned in a recent sermon and I felt they were a reminder not to be controlled by my desire for food:
whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly... (Philippians 3:19a)
...Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright...
afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected... (Hebrews 12:16b-17)
...Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright...
afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected... (Hebrews 12:16b-17)
So here are some goals/principles for myself when it comes to food: Be conscientious about portion sizes. At the end of the day, food is just food - it will not make any problem go away. Eat for nutrition and to be full. Limit eating out (saves money and is better for your body). When eating with others, remember that spending time with people & the relationship matter more than what you eat. Don't let it become a point of pride that you have eaten at "popular" or "unique" places - in the greater scheme of life, what does it really matter? There will always be an endless number of places/dishes to eat; it is vanity to try to experience them all. Replace foodie lists with more useful life bucket lists. For each and every meal, truly thank God from the bottom of your heart.