17 Blog September 20, 2024 “Eat Beautiful”
30,000 steps or 15 miles today and it was almost too warm in London. I’m getting a suntan in England in September! Shocking!
We were not permitted to take photos either in the Palace or in Westminster Abbey when we attended a service, so photos are limited.
In the morning we toured Buckingham Palace, and since it was so beautiful, we never returned to our hotel until evening. We toodled around the elite shopping district on Oxford and Regent Streets for a while (I bought socks—nothing even vaguely exciting), and then we attended Evensong at Westminster with the full Men and Boys choir as we had at York Minster. We’ve learned that a lot of people go to these services because you don’t have to pay to get in when you are going to a service. Normally there is an admission charge to visit. This is not a bad way to get people to come to church. “Hey, if you just want to look around our beautiful church, that will cost you $5!! But if you want to come to a service—you can get in for FREE!!”
Weirdly, both Alistair and I felt that the Westminster service was sort of soulless, empty, rote. It had absolutely no personality, and there was no connection with the congregation at all, almost like we didn’t matter.
What’s the difference between a ‘living’ service and a ‘dead’ service? Westminster certainly had an excellent Men and Boys Choir. They sang sophisticated music that soared through the entire Quire area, where we sat. The presider was a woman (that makes 3 for 3—three of the last services I’ve attended were led by a female pastor) who also had a clear singing voice, but she had no emotion, no connection, nothing that varied from the script. The reader was very good, however, and read with inflection. There was no homily or sermon or reflection, which is often the case with Evensong, so it wasn’t just that there wasn’t a sermon. Alistair referred to it as impersonal with too much choir and very little participation. Maybe that’s it. It felt like we were attending a performance rather than participating in a service together. The idea of service means that we are all serving, not just the choir or the presider. Today felt distinctly…boring. That makes me feel guilty for saying it. I know that God is always present when we are worshipping, and that attending church is not about my ‘feelings’. I’ve certainly said this many times, and I believe it. But the service still felt empty, and that was disappointing to both of us.
The title of the blog today, ‘Eat Beautiful’ was the slogan for a restaurant we ate at tonight named Itsu. It was another poke bowl for me and a gyoza bowl for Alistair, which felt so good after a long day of walking and more walking. This food felt like fuel for our bodies, it felt clean, it felt beautiful.
BUT—we also had tea at Buckingham Palace after our tour today, and I got to eat the most delicious scone with a thick layer of cream and jam. Alistair had a Victoria Sponge Cake. (Pics below.) They were surpassingly delectable. I could not get over the deliciousness factor and will really miss this English tradition of double cream and jam on a scone—and that, too, is beautiful.
Healthy Asian food and gloriously caloric, rich baked goods with cream—today both felt like beautiful food on a beautiful day. Amazing how the idea of ‘eating beautiful’ can encompass a whole range of meanings.
What do I miss about beautiful eating in New York right now? Apples. Lots and lots of apples. Crunchy and sweet-tangy on their own. Apple cider. Apple sauce. Apple Crumble. Apples are one of my favorite ways to celebrate the goodness and beauty of our region, and I am missing that connection.
Tomorrow we fly to Milan and I have no idea what to expect or how we will navigate the city since we don’t speak Italian. Sure, we’ve got Google translate and that will be an enormous help, but I wonder what will constitute beautiful eating when we get there? What will be different than nourishes our bodies, our minds and our spirits?
In the meantime, what beautiful food have you eaten that nourishes you or those you love?
ML+
