Coming Together

There are many things in this world that bring people together with common interests or goals, for instance, a running club. Running clubs can consist of elite marathoners, middle-distance runners and even newbies who just got off the couch yesterday. Obviously, all of these people have at least one thing in common, they want to run. Their purposes for running, however, vary wildly from qualifying for Boston to attempting to run for 30 consecutive minutes. These clubs are wonderful tools to help people who have common interests be surrounded by their peers; they can swap "battle wound" stories, inspiring advice, and bring new ideas to those who may be stuck in a rut. But, there is one thing you will never see at a running club meeting--a non-runner. (Yes, I know, "DUH, Sarah!") My point is that not all "communities" are designed to be a complete communion between all people. Read on to discover why I think the food community and beer community are two in which anyone can be a member and reap the benefits. (Please note that I think running clubs are amazing tools for runners and I am a strong advocate for them; I only used them as an example because I am a runner and my life revolves around running....so you see, it's all because I lack an imagination!)



Food as Communion

Since Eve shared her tainted apple with Adam, food has brought people together. Just last night, I enjoyed dinner and a beer with my father who was in Chicagoland on a business trip with two of his co-workers (one of whom I had never met) and my husband. What brought us together? Food. All five of us are very different people with very different lives but food brought us together and, for that brief period of time, we were a community. We told stories, we laughed, we shared ourselves with each other. Although no one but me probably realized it, we were also members of a different community--as we dined, we were engaged in communion with the chef as the chef shared with us his art.




When you go to an art museum, you look at the paintings and the sculptures and marvel at their beauty and the talent of the artist--you are engaged in communion with the artist just by appreciating his work. It is no different for food--in fact, you could argue the community between chef and patron is the strongest. The chef provides your body with necessary sustenance, but he transforms it into a symphony of taste, aroma, texture, and color--the chef is able to sate your hunger with his art. Providing physical nourishment as well as mental nourishment. Have you ever tasted something prepared for you that sent shivers down your spine? As the food glided over your tongue and down your throat, you said, "I get it." "It" is what the chef is trying to say to you, his perspective and contribution to the world. The chef is inviting you into his community through food, through the very thing that gives us life.



Beer as Communion

As I mentioned before, I also enjoyed a beer last night with my "community." Beer, like food, is one of those things that has something for everyone.

("I don't like beer," you say? Yes you do, it's just that no one has ever "fitted" you with the appropriate style. Did you know there are fruit beers, sweet beers, sour beers, bitter beers and beers that fizzle like Champagne? Go to your local specialty beer store and they will be more than happy to help you find your style. You'll be glad you did.)

Beer is the drink of the people; whereas wine still seems to be a little stuffy and complicated to the average person. But, beer! Beer, my friend, has an amazing ability to be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. I drank my beer last night as a social drinker, one who was not necessarily concerned with complexities or mouth feel, but rather the feel-good effects. In a different situation, I could drink the same beer and engage in a lengthy conversation about the hop flavor and aroma or the nuttiness of the malt. Beer has an amazing ability to be the star of the show or a low key support system.

This principle holds true for drinking beer socially as well as pairing it with food. I've had meals in which the food compliments the beer and others in which the beer compliments the food. One way was not better or worse than the other, just different--that's what makes beer special, its ability to be what you need it to be when you want it to be.

Beer is a team player!

Because beer can play two different roles at once, it is the perfect drink for sharing in a community of people with different perspectives and desires. Beer can sate each individual's unique need, whether it's a satisfying taste or acting as a social lubricant, without demanding attention at each pass.

This is me drinking a nice wit beer in St. Louis a couple years ago.

There is a brotherhood in beer--a community of people like you and me--that has stood the tests of time and will endure and grow if we continue to respect it. I encourage everyone to go to your local brewery or beer bar and fall in love with craft beer. Educate your children about beer, allow them to taste it and teach them that it is to be respected and not abused. We can change the world through education, all you have to do is be the teacher.....


Try something new today,
Sarah