It Shall Be Food for You: A Brief Cooking Meditation
by Samir Knego
“Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you” (Genesis 1:29)
I frequently cook black beans for my household and have tried to embrace it as a time for contemplation. Cooking beans from scratch is tastier and more economical than canned beans, and if you have the time it’s a nice way to slow down and connect with your food and the earth that provides it. I hope you will take this opportunity to consider the meaning and majesty of Creation in everything, including ordinary acts like cooking, in this meditation inspired by the first creation narrative in Genesis (1:1-2:3).
I hope you will take this opportunity to consider the meaning and majesty of Creation in everything, including ordinary acts like cooking, in this meditation inspired by the first creation narrative in Genesis (1:1-2:3).
This recipe (and meditation) is not to be done all in one sitting but will unfold over the course of a day or two. I usually sort and soak my beans in the morning and then finish cooking them in the evening.
You will need:
dried black beans
water
a big pot
plenty of salt
seasonings of your choice. I usually use some combination of bay leaves, paprika, chili powder, cumin, and cocoa powder (unsweetened–the idea is not to make it chocolatey but just to add an earthy sort of depth).
vegetable bouillon/broth (optional)
a colander/strainer (optional, but recommended)
Sort
Start by measuring out your beans (I usually do 2.5-3 cups at a time, though the amount will not make a difference for this recipe) and picking through them to remove any rocks.
Consider:
What does it mean to treat food as a gift from God?
When have you experienced God in food (growing, cooking, eating, or otherwise)?
Soak
Put your beans in the pot with plenty of salt and cover with a few inches of water. As you do so, consider:
What is my relationship to water?
What does it mean that there was water in the chaos before creation?
You may feel moved to give thanks for access to clean water or pray for the roughly 2 billion people worldwide who lack such access.
Bring the beans to a boil and let them boil for 10-15 minutes, then take them off the heat and let them soak for at least 4 hours. Make sure there is plenty of water to cover them.
As the beans sit, consider:
What is the significance of a God who makes time to rest?
Where have you found God in moments of pause?
Cook
Dump out the old water (a colander/strainer will make this easy) and cover the beans slightly with water or broth. Bring the beans to a boil and then turn the heat down and let the beans simmer for as long as you need with your spices/seasonings of choice. My beans usually take about 1.5 hours, but cooking times can vary depending on the age of your beans.
As the beans cook, stir them periodically and consider:
How do you feel about waiting? What do you usually find yourself waiting for?
Many of us are so familiar with the Genesis creation narrative that we rush through it, perhaps assuming we already know it. Is there a part of the story that you tend to fast-forward to?
Sometimes a different translation can help us read the text anew. Read Genesis 1:1-2:3 in a translation you aren’t used to (BibleGateway has many options) and see what stands out to you that you might have missed before.
Serve
Once your beans are finished cooking, it’s time to eat! You can serve them many ways, but a couple of my favorites are with rice and roasted sweet potatoes, or grits and salsa.
As you put the finishing touches on your dishes and/or while you eat, consider:
Why do you cook? How does it make you feel?
What does the creative work about cooking teach you about God’s creative work in the world?
Clean
A rabbi friend once told me that doing the dishes is a gift you give to your future self, and I try to remember that when the prospect of cleaning up is daunting.
As you clean, consider:
Genesis tells us of a God who creates order in the universe. Does order feel spiritual for you? How so (or not)?
How does God’s love and blessing for humans call you to love and bless humans, including yourself?
Samir Knego spends his days photographing archival materials and thinking about the past. His essays, poems, and visual art have appeared all over the place, including in Religion Dispatches, Anti-Racism Daily, and Wordgathering: A Journal of Disability Poetry and Literature, and he has had solo shows at the Hillsborough Arts Council Gallery, Art Therapy Institute of NC, and Eno Arts Mill Gallery.
