Birthday and Food

This weekend I celebrated my 37th birthday. My wife planned a wonderful trip for me to Chattanooga, TN. We went to the zoo, the aquarium and on the way home went to a diner that was featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." Triple D known to us fans of the show. This made me think about how food is involved in all the important parts of our life. When we are born they have baby showers and serve food, every birthday they serve food, graduations they serve food, when you get married there is food involved, and when you or someone you know passes away food is given to the family. There are even occasions when you get hurt, people will be nice enough to help out and bring you food. Maybe it's because I'm a Baptist, you can't have an event at church without some sort of food being involved. So it was a little bit of a struggle when I moved out of my parents' house and had to take care of myself. I mean praise God for the frozen food department and microwaves, but you can only enjoy the taste of fake food for so long. I believe fast food places created the 99 cent menu for single people and the pizza delivery people are angels in my book. But there comes a point when you have to learn to cook. Sure there are things like ramen noodles that are the cheapest things in the store, but check out the salt content in those things. I got creative and cut up hot dogs in my macaroni and cheese, I called that gourmet. Cereal became a favorite and easy dinner for me, plus if you got bored you could mix up your favorite brands together. I always made sure I added Cocoa Pebbles to mine so I would have chocolate milk to drink at the end. The biggest advice I can give to those that are challenged in the culinary arts is to make lots of friends and hope you get invited to those big life events where there is always food. Or do what I did, marry a good cook.

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 "I know that nothing is better for them than to
rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and
drink and enjoy the good of all his labor-it is the gift of God."