A kitchen is a place in which you prepare food - our earthly and spiritual sustenance. Food has been linked with the sacred since time began. It is only in recent years that we have lost our connection with the food that sustains us. Nowadays many of us barely register what we eat; we eat on the run, gulping down "fast food"; we pop "convenience food" in the microwave and unconsciously swallow it while watching television. Few of us sit down as a family to enjoy good food.
All the great religions teach that food is a blessing from the Divine and should be treated with immense respect and gratitude. No religious Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist family would dream of just tucking into a meal without saying a blessing and giving thanks. In China, food is considered to be a physical link between humans and the gods; beautifully prepared meals are given as a sacred offering on family alters. In the ayurvedic tradition of India, food is a spiritual science with precise prescriptions of how to prepare and eat food for physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. In African-American culture there is the tradition of "soul food." Soul food is food cooked with love, intent, intuition, and a sense of history. It is a living prayer and celebration, and has much to teach. Although the individual rituals and customs may vary, all these traditions have several things in common. First, they recognize that food is far more than mere fuel for the body; it also sustains the soul. Second, they believe in the mindful planning, preparation, and consumption of food. Third, they insist on the necessity to give thanks for the food we eat. Most of them also sanctify the ritual of eating together in groups - whether of friends or family.
Until the twentieth century, the hearth had always been the center of the home, It was the kitchen center around which the family kept warm, fed itself, and discussed the day's work. At day's end, family members gathered in the kitchen, preparing and eating their meals, praying, laughing, and planning.
an excerpt from Spirit of the Kitchen, by Jane Alexander
(2002 Watson-Guptill Publications)