Hey Y’all.

In case that greeting didn’t give me away, I’m Southern. And to take it one step further, I am a Southern Baptist. That essentially means my life has been structured around food.

The 2 big jokes about the Baptist church is that no one sits on the front row, and the entire church will turn out if there is the promise of a covered dish supper.

I fondly remember a wedding my mother (who is a caterer) did when I was a teenager. This couple was very active in our church, and everybody loved them – and they were just fun. Their wedding cake was done in the shape of daisies, their punch was a big tin washtub full of lemonade, and their dinner was covered dish. Yep – every guest brought platters of fried chicken, fried okra, or some sort of casserole (these are the staples of a Southern covered dish supper). It was a blast.

Food also played major roles in other life events. Whenever someone had a baby, their Sunday School class would bring tons of lasagna, chicken & rice casserole, and other easy to store dinners so the new parents wouldn’t have to cook. If someone had surgery, the same was done. If there was a death in the family, the house would be descended upon after the funeral (and many times a few days before) by the entire church bearing enough food to last the family for a month. And of course at Christmas, fruit baskets would be taken to all the elderly in the church by the (sometimes off-tune) carolers.

And then personally, there were all the holidays spent at my great-grandmother’s house where we all gathered around food. If my aunt forgot to bring her cheesy broccoli and rice casserole or her corn flake candies, then I would mope for days. My worst Christmas ever was my freshman year in college when I had my tonsils and adenoids taken out, and I couldn’t eat a thing anyone made.

Then there’s comfort food; you know those dishes we all eat when we are sick, or down, or it’s freezing outside. Growing up, mine were my Grannie’s chicken ‘n dumplins and her banana pudding. I still can’t make them the way she did.

Yet every time I do make it – I think of her, passed away 8 years now.

Because food is not just fuel for the body; it is nourishment for the soul.

Think about one time when you were sick as a kid. Your mom probably made you chicken noodle soup or tomato soup, maybe with a grilled cheese sandwich and some ginger ale. Now what do you remember most about that time? Sneezing & sniffling, the noodles, getting bubbles up your nose? Probably what you remember is you mom at the stove, or bringing the tray to you, feeling your forehead with her hand. That soup was not just food, that was love.

But mankind has always seemed to know about this eating together thing. Fossils from early cave dwellers show that families or groups ate together. This may have just been for protection, but I like to believe it was for companionship.

The Bible recounts many tales of people breaking bread together and how that was the highest mark of trust and honor. The early Greeks were known for their feasts. In fact, if you have ever seen the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” – then apparently that tradition is still upheld.

And we are back to weddings. One of the most joyous moments in a couple’s life, and what is one of the biggest facets of it? The reception. Be it dinner, luncheon, hors d'oeuvres, or dessert buffet – no one would dare serve just a cake and punch anymore. Weddings are a full out party! It is the way the happy couple thanks their guests and lets them in on a little taste of the happiness and love they are feeling.

It gives the phrase “comfort food” a whole new meaning.