Community Meals

This morning I went to the Lions Club Pancake Breakfast at the fire hall. This community meal is always held on the Sunday before election day in the fall. It is usually packed with people and all of the local candidates come out to pour coffee and press the flesh. Sitting there enjoying my pancakes, with real maple syrup, I thought about the evolution of the community meal. They are held everywhere. The menus differ, the venues differ, but do the purposes differ? They are a combination of fundraiser and community building and fellowship. They are sponsored by fire departments, schools, civic organizations and churches. The menus vary--pancake breakfasts, meatloaf, spaghetti, ham loaf, fish frys, and chicken barbeque are all popular around here. In Central PA there were chicken and waffle dinners. I'm sure across the country the local cuisine is featured--clambakes, crab boils, etc.

Growing up our local community club had a "smorgasboard" dinner, playing off our Swedish heritage. Local women would make their special dish and the spread was quite impressive, especially the pies. Hundreds would come, and just like the Lions, the smorgasboard was always the Sunday before Election day in the fall. Kids would help clear the tables and pour drinks, women would work in the kitchen. I don't know what the men did--maybe set up tables beforehand. The dinner gradually faded away until it was only a few women making several dishes at the clubhouse and serving everyone. With the deaths of my grandmother and mother, the smorgasboard died as well.

I'm curious about these events now. How does sharing a meal become a central part of a community? Food has always been a way to create family and community, think back to the Passover meal, Thanksgiving, etc. Sharing food is a way of building trust, showing kindness, and inclusion.

Maybe I should have a new research agenda....