You Still Have To Eat
April 27, 2009
Recently, there was a death in our community. It wasn’t unexpected; it wasn’t tragic. But still…. Right away, the community closed ranks around the family. And what was one of the first things we provided? Meals.
First came the spread for mourners after the funeral. That one is tough to set up. There’s very little notice, and you really have no idea of how many people will come.
After that, one person set up a schedule, and many people chipped in to provide the family with a week’s worth of dinners. Meatballs and spaghetti, soups, simple chicken dishes – the kinds of things you might eat when you don’t really feel like eating.
Now, the family is over the worst of it. They really appreciated the fact of the food. And they knew that it was an expression of caring.
The food providers felt good as well. Preparing meals gave us a way to act out how we felt. We wanted to nourish these people through a tough time.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today.