Curated by Jennifer Grant
In Ecclesiastes, we’re told that there’s “nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be merry.” Elsewhere in the Scriptures, the message is more complex: We are charged with caring for creation and for meeting the needs of the poor. Isaiah 58:10 reads, “If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.”
This page celebrates food and the pleasure of making merry and “breaking bread” with others, but also takes a frank look at the politics and theology of food and its production—recognizing that what and how we eat has deep significance for our spiritual, physical, and emotional health and also profoundly affects the wellbeing of others and the survival of the planet.
We can do both!
(Lists in process)
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Blog Articles
Best Foodie TV
“The Great British Baking Show”
“I’ll Have What Phil’s Having”
“Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories”
Favorite Foodie Movies
Best Food and Restaurant Writing
“The Midlife Crisis of the American Restaurant Review” by Theodore Gioia
(Anything by) Pete Wells
A BuzzFeed “greatest hits” of Pete Wells’ most savage reviews
My favorite of Reichl’s is Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise
The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball
(Thank you to Faith and Food reader, Liz Rasley, for this suggestion, and more!)
Yes Chef: A Memoir by Marcus Samuelsson
Best Kids Books about Food
My favorites:
Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban
Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
How Are You Peeling? by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood and Don Wood
31 Other Delicious Books for Kids
Best Foodie Podcasts
My favorites are The Splendid Table and the The Bon Appétit Foodcast, both found on this list
The Best Cookbooks
The New Yorker’s Best Cookbooks 2019
Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day by Moosewood Collective
More-with-Less: A World Community Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre and Rachel Marie Stone
Marcus Off Duty: The Recipes I Cook at Home by Marcus Samuelsson
All of Mark Bittman’s “How to…” books. My favorite is How to Cook Anything Fast. His recipes and superfast instructions on roasting vegetables was a game changer for me. I use parchment paper and these classic, rimmed sheet pans to roast veggies almost every day.
Savoring Southeast Asia by Joyce Jue
Together: Our Community Cookbook (foreword by Meghan Markle, formerly Duchess of Sussex)
From the book description: Together celebrates the power of cooking to connect us to one another. In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire in London, a group of local women gathered together to cook fresh food for their families and neighbors. Over the chatter and aromas of the kitchen they discovered the power of cooking and eating together to create connections, restore hope and normalcy, and provide a sense of home. This was the start of the Hubb Community Kitchen. …
The women invite you to make their favorite simple dishes—many handed down over generations— from the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and Eastern Mediterranean for you and your loved ones. Every dish tells a story of history, culture and family, and each has been developed to use few ingredients and easy methods so that anyone can cook these personal recipes. This stunning charity cookbook is a homage to life, friendship and togetherness.
Small Victories: Recipes, Advice + Hundreds of Ideas for Home Cooking Triumphs by Julia Turshen
(Thank you Liz Rasley for introducing this one to me!)
The Bánh mì Handbook: Recipes for Crazy Delicious Vietnamese Sandwiches by Andrea Nguyen
Read about Food, Spirituality, and Justice
Eat with Joy by Rachel Stone
Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating by Norman Wirzba
Keeping the Feast: Metaphors for the Meal by Milton Brasher-Cunningham
The End of Hunger by Jenny Eaton Dyer and Cathleen Falsani
Overview about food and social justice in the U.S.: https://psychologyofeating.com/food-and-social-justice-in-the-united-states/
The UU’s statement on Ethical Eating: https://www.uua.org/action/statements/ethical-eating-food-environmental-justice
Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating by Mark Bittman
Take Action
Support your local foodbank: https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-find-food-banks-in-your-area-2997430
Go Meatless on Mondays: https://www.meatlessmonday.com/benefits/
Buy sustainable seafood: https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/conservation-and-science/our-programs/seafood-watch
Learn about famine in African countries and Yemen and support relief efforts: https://bit.ly/36SqLO7
Support “The Store,” a free, year-round grocery store in Nashville: https://www.thestore.org/about-us.html
(Some of) My Favorite Recipes
Note: I’m a pescatarian, so these recipes align with that choice. To that end, I use vegetable stock instead of chicken or beef stock and just skip it when a recipe calls for something like bacon. (Speaking of bacon, I had the most delicious vegan “bacon bits” this winter at Blossom restaurant in NYC; they were made of shiitake mushrooms. I found a similar recipe, if you want to try making them at home: https://mayihavethatrecipe.com/vegan-kale-caesar-salad-with-mushroom-bacon-bits/.)
In a few months, I’ll write a blog post for Faith and Food on why, about 30 years ago, I stopped eating meat. (Teaser: It had to do with health, climate change, animal welfare, and attending a bookstore event that featured the author of this provocative book.)
What’s for Dinner?
Soup
Corn Chowder (If, like me, you don’t eat bacon, leave it out! So good.)
Thai Tofu Noodle Soup with Lemongrass
Other Main Dishes
Bánh mì
- Tofu Bánh mì from My Darling Vegan
- Vegetarian Bánh mì with Crispy Tofu from Cooking Light
- Seared Tofu Bánh mì from Love and Lemons
Creamy Pasta with Spinach and Fried Capers
Fast Salmon with a Ginger Glaze
Orecchiette with Caramelized Onions, Sugar Snap Peas, and Ricotta Cheese