The Culinary Artist and the Moment of Truth.

In concentrating to this point on the virtues of host and guest, we have sure overlooked the people whom the dinner  party list forgot to invite. Who? Folks,  such as:`RicTresa.

The cooks? The many ones who are the real great common folk. Those who scrub floors, wash dishes, and prepares the food nourishment. A host may seem supremely generous, gracious, and the invited guest aim to be kind, witty, and not appear a fool to be mocked.

Cooks are preeminently artistic, balanced, harmonious, and above all, and especially in the present matter--good taste. As a poet automatically lives in the conveyed poem, and the painter in the painting, so too the cook, the web-designer, etc., lives in the good cooking.

Moreover, when appreciated by the discerning taste of the diners, the virtues of the meal itself (reads) transforms and elevates the invisible soul force of the other diners. The aesthetic experience is mysteriously ongoing  and provides both bodily and spiritual satisfaction. It's as simple as that.

Read the phenomenon  of the beautifully written short story by:`Isak Dinesen's, *Babette's Feast?" It's also an excellent film. I can't retell it well. You need to read the whole story.

The story takes place in a Norwegian fishing village. The so-called pious Lutheran sect has raised a potential community. Two daughters are told to deny themselves earthly pleasures. They are supposed to cheerfully spend their days:`performing good deeds, work for the poor, and needy, comfort the lonely, meet for scheduled prayer time. Vespers. Oh, and sing hymns. 

Babette was a French women who survived Civil Wars in 1871. The Sister gave her refuge after Babette fled Paris. Babette was indoctrinated into the ascetic lifestyle.  She cleaned fish cod-scales,  and made ale-and-bread soup:`

Read it? Babette won the Lottery! (thanks Spotted_Mind) She began some changes and  miraculously addressed the French luxury class of the surly base and barren click-twerps.

Discord and dissension saddened Babette. Members of the Flock? Oh, and they were so screwed up! They didn't even know it! Antagonism. Festering cliches kept a- resurfacing! 

Babette wished to celebrate her Lottery Prize. She spent ever penny. Babette imported a huge live-tortoise. That horrified the religious sisters. No frogs, snails, and No wine!? A white-bearded brother suggested:`Let's not utter a word about this. Eat!

- read of General Lorens Loewenhielm falling in love with the sister Martine. Learn of careers among prominent circles, unhappy people, and the sorry Dean shaking off the dust from his boots. ETC:`

* 

Grace

May my food my body maintain,

may my body my soul sustain,

may my soul in deed and word

give thanks for all things [Nature]

Lord. *Lord was more substance.

Lord governs celestial sky realms. 

* 

`

They sipped Veuve Cliquot 1860!

Incredible! Dumbstruck. things change.

`

Babette is embraced. Philippa who could not formerly speak. She trembled. Then she whispered:` "This is not the end! I feel, Babette, that this is not the end. In Paradise you will be the greatest artist that God meant you to be! Ah!" 

She added:`Tears streaming down her cheeks. "Ah, how you will enchant the angels!"

Babette was a heroine. The self-denial Lutherans, or, these crabbed do-goodies two-shoes ... received a foretaste of heavenly food, wine, communion, bread and soups, and simple, genuine hospitality:`Virtue, culinary, knowledge, and a bit of a glimpse of Knowing ... far beyond their formerly assuming they knew ... something?

The story is to awake to the presence of the divine. Superb food. They feared Dionysus, formerly. There are embedded truth that are noble. No expression of piety can supply a noble insight. The story about the Lottery winning is wort reflection.