Breaking Bread

   A couple of weeks ago we were in class discussing various topics, my teacher asked us the question
"What does the expression breaking bread mean to you?" My colleges each representing various areas around the world, China, Columbia, Korea, Israel, the middle east and even Venezuela, all had various stories and explanations. But as I listened, I discovered a common denominator. Words like family, friends, sharing, gatherings, and celebration were commonly used. This very common food that was maybe prepared, cooked, and served differently, was always identified as nourishing, shared and good for the soul.

So I decided to look up the expression Breaking Bread :

A. To engage in a comfortable, friendly interaction. Originally, the term was literal, meaning that a loaf of bread would be broken to share and eat; a casual meal among associates.

 As I continued my research, I found magazines, nonprofit organizations and even social media groups with this name. Almost all except for a few had these same words in common. Family, Friends, sharing, gathering and celebrating, so this simple basic food made of flour and water would be used to unite, gather and nourish us humans. :)

Come to think of it, bread in itself is very generous and communal. Take the sourdough bread, this little creature begins with only flour and water. It is left at a comfortable temperature where wonderful healthy bacteria can grow. It is then fed every day of approximately 7 days to allow fermentation and expansion. To look at it, honestly, it doesn't look very tasty, but used in a sourdough recipe with cranberries and nuts! and Bam a winning yummy recipe. And the bonus to this is that you can keep the flour/water mixture by placing it in your fridge, this allows the bacteria to fall asleep. And when you're in the mood for bread again you take it out and start the process all over again.

For me personally this expression breaking bread, is two-fold, I was raised in a French Quebec Christian family. Sundays we would go to church and have the breaking of bread, which is a Christian practice. After Church, I would invite friends, new acquaintances and even sometimes strangers with nowhere to go. We would gather in my home to share, and enjoy food and fellowship.

 For those who know me, I am always looking to find the deeper meaning of life. In this bread making competency, I not only learned how to improve my bread making skill but to appreciate bread in all its beautiful complexities.

Chix :)



ref:

A:https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Break%20bread