Wednesday, September 19, 2001

The bread of life

By F.C. FOODIE
Food Critic

It's been overwhelming.

The pictures and the sounds of last week's tragedies in Washington and New York will forever be embedded in our memories.

Our safe world where our main worry for the day was where to eat lunch or dinner has been replaced with a place where each siren causes a nervous glance to the window, and each image from our television gets harder to take.

Since the tragedies unfurled, the nation has come together in a way that has not been seen since that tranquil Sunday morning in Hawaii shattered our lives 60 years ago.

One of the many stories that has emerged from the rubble has been the outpouring of help from New York's restaurant community. Meals that would normally cost $100-$200 are now being enjoyed by dusty firefighters and police officers who are only acquainted with the restaurant by passing it on the way to work.

For 30 minutes or so, the rescue workers are transported back to our old world and share the communion of food and fellowship with people from all walks of life.

A brief break for a meal doesn't change the grim task of sorting through tons of debris, but it's providing many workers their only semblance of reality in an insane world.

While Fayette County remained physically untouched from last week's events, all of our psyches have been shaken. Now's the time to gather around a community table and share a meal, a chat, a community hug. ...

For years, the family dinner hour was a place that opinions were shaped, decisions were delivered and families were strengthened.

But in our time-crunched society, we're far more likely to grab fast-food on the way home and eat it while watching television. Meals are just another activity on our Palm Pilots ... they no longer are a priority, just another to-do item.

The world changed Tuesday, and it's time for us to change as well. Many of our Christian faiths refer to their communion services as receiving the bread of life.

It's time for all of us to commune, and share a meal together with everyone important in our lives. It's not going to turn the clock back, but it will help keep us moving forward in one of the bleakest hours we've faced in over 60 years.

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