When I went to bed that night I knew that I wasn’t going to be hungry enough for breakfast the next morning. I woke up at 6:25am to catch my flight, and by the time I boarded my plane I had already eaten a banana, a boiled egg, and a papaya, carrot, and coconut milk smoothie. I sat down for a pricy but tasty Korean lunch in the airport an hour before my second flight. After boarding my plane, lunch was served 2 hours later. On arriving to Taiwan and getting settled into my hotel, there was an opening session for my conference with numerous Western and Asian cuisine options within 2 hours from landing. I was heavy-laden with food.
Traveling to another region of the country or the world is often as much as a gastronomical experience as it is a site-seeing, cultural exploration and nature-enjoying adventure. The temptation, however, is to go a bit too far. Maybe it’s just me, but I often STUFF MY FACE, but I know that there is a fine line between indulging and over-indulging. With this is mind, I’ve had to rethink my relationship to delicious food not just for my waist-line’s sake, but because gluttony distances me from God as opposed to drawing me close to Him. Now I know what many of you are thinking. Nuh unn Kelicia, you’re not about to make me feel guilty on my vacation. You’re not about to take away the joy of eating myself happy. Of course I’m not! I love to eat too, but being so stuffed so much that I didn’t feel hunger made me change my tactic for the rest of the trip.
From that day on, believe me, I was at every meal. I had a taste of most things. However, I only went for the food that I couldn’t have on a regular basis. If there were rolls and another starchy specialty dish, sometimes I skipped the roll just to save room. The dinner buffet included chicken and salmon? I went for a little bit of both, or chose the whole piece of salmon exclusively, because my every day budget is not that fancy yet.
I think that a beautiful passage on food provision is when God sends quail and manna to the Israelites in the wilderness. Take a look at Exodus 16:9-36. To me, the best part is here: “The Israelites did as they were told, some gathered much, and some little. And when they measured by the omer, he who gather much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gather as much as he needed,” vs17-19.
This message comes right after Thanksgiving and at the beginning of a major holiday season, but it certainly isn’t a wagging accusatory finger. It is a reminder of the blessing of provision, and the comfort we experience when it’s indulged in a way that’s kind to our own stomachs and pleasing to God. Whether you are traveling abroad, to grandma’s house, or sticking close to home this season, don’t let the gastronomical experience be a dilemma. Enjoy the provision responsibly :) Bon appétit!
Dear Lord,
Please help me through this vacation.
Love,
Kelicia
****This is the LAST POST of the series.
About This Series:
Every post is based on my true life experiences while living in Harbin and Tianjin, China during my Fulbright grant year in 2014-2015. I’m highlighting the happy, the hilarious, and the ‘help me!’ moments of my experience from an uniquely Christian perspective. I’m combining the stories with the scriptures, and I hope that you have enjoyed journey!
About the Author:
Kelicia Hollis is Detroit-born, Arkansas-raised writer,
speaker and educator. She completed her B.A. in Creative Writing from Columbia
University, her M.A. in Higher Education from the University of Michigan.
Hollis, a 2014-2015 Fulbright Scholar, is currently President and CEO of
Polyglot International Ventures Inc. in Little Rock, a foreign language
services firm. Learn more at www.polyglotnation.com,
and connect with her at www.keliciahollis.com.
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Interested
in a graduate study abroad?
For more
information about the Fulbright Grant Opportunities and how to apply, visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright/fulbright-programs
For more
opportunities for funded graduate study & research abroad, check out this
article from Diversity Abroad: http://www.diversityabroad.com/guides/study-and-research-fellowships/study-and-research-fellowships
