Reading the book Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen made me hungry.
Ok, so that's not the point, and it's not like was drooling all over my desk for a few zwiebach. Nonetheless, I was a initially surprised at how much food was mentioned. Her mother baking bread, her memories of getting made fun of as a kid for her obscure lunches, several dinner parties or special meals, even a trip to McDonald's for burgers (or chicken sandwiches). Almost every chapter had some mention of something edible, if not dedicated to the topic, and we spent time in class discussing the vast differences of Russian-Mennonite food from German/Swiss-Mennonite food.
Growing up in a strange but fairly common mix of Mennonite and epicurean parents, all of this food talk didn't hit me until I took a step back. I began to wonder if this topic would show up as much if Rhoda had been Methodist, or Muslim. What is it about Mennonites and food?
Rhoda talks about it a little bit in her book, how foods gives us connection. It connected out ancestors (and sometimes us) to the land, connects us to each other, and grounds us in our bodies. This is great, because as Rhoda remembers and sees upon her visit, many Mennonites have rural farming roots and place emphasis on community and the body (God incarnate). Food is not just something to keep you alive. Rather, it is tradition and medicine and history and holy. It is a way to show love. Perhaps this is why borsht is mentioned so much in Mennonite in a Little Black Dress. It certainly shows culture and provides a laugh, but I believe it also is a way in which Rhoda embraces her family again, reflecting on and affirming her family's crazy culture.
Sounds delicious.
Kate, I think we will have to have a Mennonite Lit potluck for which we each cook a Mennonite Dish with which we are not familiar--and one that's a beloved dish from our traditions, either Mennonite or not! Your Wikipedia pictures of Borscht made me hungry. I love borscht and think I will have to get some beets on my next shopping trip. Food = culture. This is a very rich area, both within Mennonite tradition, and between traditions. It's the first way we try to connect with a different culture. Note that the Mexican Restaurants in Goshen probably do more cultural crossing than all the town meetings;-) Definitely food for thought--and for future discussion.
ReplyDeleteOops. That must've been someone else's link to borscht. Yours was to Zwieback, which I've never made. So maybe I'll have to bake some for that imaginary potluck. Then we can dip it in the borscht. (Or is that allowed in Russian Mennonite circles?) I've been reading a lot of blogs tonight, but this was the one that made me hungry!
ReplyDeleteKate,
ReplyDeleteYOu ask the question of whether food would be such an integral part of ethnic writing for Methodists or Catholics. This is such an interesting thing to think about, and something that makes me feel so lucky to be a part of and be studying Mennonite literature, because to remove food from our literature would be to remove a large percentage of who we are as Mennonites as well. What a wonderful thing!
I've got a massive hankering for some zwiebach right now after reading this post -- pulling the little ball of bread off the bun is such a satisfying feeling!
Even though I am not able to relate to anyone over borscht or other Mennonite foods so I couldn't crave these, I was able to crave McDonald's McChicken sandwiches. TASTY! With Janzen having family gatherings, does your family also have family gatherings? Only my parents, my sister, and I "gather" together for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. My entire family doesn't gather for anything because we are so spread out. The only time we had a "family gathering" was for the funeral of my grandmother on my dad's side (which ended up being only those from her side of the family and nothing from my grandfather's side (not including family friends)) last July. So, I am not even able to relate to family gatherings.
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