Halloween, like other holidays, has its fair share of commercialization and odd customs. But, if you take a closer look, you’ll find deep history, beauty, and tradition as well. Join us as we look at the religious history of Halloween, including the origins of Trick-or-Treating, food traditions like soul cakes, and Martin Luther’s decision to nail the 95 theses on Halloween. Whether you dress up for Halloween every year, or turn off all your lights and hide in the basement during Trick-or-Treating, this episode will inspire you to rethink the holiday and, just maybe, see it as a day for community and remembrance. Listen in.

Download Kendall’s Soul Cakes recipe here.

Join us as we speak with chef Reem Assil about food and the diaspora. We reflect on questions like: What is home for people of the diaspora? How can food traditions shape our families and ourselves? What can we learn from Arab hospitality practices?

Reem Assil is a baker, community organizer, and founder of the Bay Area restaurant group Reems California. She’s the author of the recently released cookbook “Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora.”This conversation is so rich and a must-listen for anyone interested in how our food, home, and culture shape our lives. Listen in.

You can find Reem Assil on Instagram at @Reem.Assil or @ReemsCalifornia.

Check out additional resources or subscribe to our newsletter: edibletheology.com/kitchen-meditations.

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “authentic food”? Today, we’re going to talk about the concept of authenticity, especially as it relates to food. We’ll examine where the term comes from and how it gets used. We’ll think about why we choose the term for some foods and not for others, and we’ll question whether or not there are more robust ways we can describe the things we love to eat.

We hope this short reflection will help you reflect on the ways food has shaped you. Listen in.

Books & articles mentioned:

The Ethnic Restauranteur by Krishnendu Rey

Exotic Appetites by Lisa Heldke

Washington Post article by Emily Heil

Korean America by Eric Kim

Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi

Diasporican by Illyanna Maisonet

Download our show transcript or subscribe to our weekly newsletter at www.EdibleTheology.com.

Consider supporting The Edible Theology Project with a tax-free monthly or a one-time donation at www.edibletheology.com/fundraiser

Follow The Edible Theology Project on Facebook or Instagram.

For many of us, our relationship to place is a complicated one. It's sometimes a privilege to know the many places that have formed us. Other times, we'd like to forget them. But the yearning to understand how places have shaped who we are is a deeply human one. Join Kendall Vanderslice and guest Patrice Gopo, author of “All the Places We Call Home”, as we meditate together on how to lean into the yearning for home.

Check out additional resources or subscribe to our newsletter: edibletheology.com/kitchen-meditations.

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, “eating local”? This phrase, eating local, can mean a variety of things. Alice Water’s work through Chez Panisse - which sparked the launch of the Farm-to-Table movement - and Barbara Kingsolver’s 2007 book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” set the stage for conversations about local eating over the last two decades. In 2020, the phrase “eating local” took another major shift as COVID-19 created challenges for local businesses. The focus on sustaining small, local companies turned the focus away from food sourcing and towards the regional economy and the people preparing and selling their wares. Today, we’ll dig into the different forms “eating local” can take—and reflect on what value it might bring to our lives. Listen in.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at www.EdibleTheology.com.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the unknown? Do you find yourself wishing for a bit more slowness, stability, or surety about your next steps? Maybe then you’d finally feel at home, you think. In this episode of Kitchen Meditations, Kendall is joined by Lore Ferguson Wilbert, the author of Curious Faith. Together, Kendall and Lore discuss what makes them feel at home, the lingering feelings of homesickness, the role questions can play in our faith, and how to instill some rhythm into our everyday lives to feel more at home.

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Download the transcript for this episode here!

What flavors come to mind when you think of home? Is there a particular recipe you grew up making? Is there something you’ve learned to cook that feels cozy, that makes your kitchen feel ready to welcome others in? Welcome back to Kitchen Meditations! In today’s episode, we’ll explore the way our senses help us conjure old memories and remind us what home means to each of us. This season, we’ll hear from a series of guests as they reflect on their own relationship to food, and how this has been shaped by home, by family, and by faith.

For further reflection questions, along with a recipe and prayer, subscribe to our weekly email newsletter, The Weekly Digest. Just head to www.edibletheology.com to sign up.

Find your free Supper Club Starter Guide here

Have you been missing Kitchen Meditations?

Don't worry—it will be back in September. Until then, join Kendall Vanderslice for another fun summer project: VeggieTakes, the VeggieTales rewatch podcast.

Listen to this preview of our first episode, then head on over to VeggieTakes and subscribe today!

For the next three weeks, Edible Theology is running an IndieGoGo fundraising campaign to finish out our upcoming curriculum as well as the next season of this podcast.

In this episode, you'll learn more about this exciting season in our ministry and the ways that you can help.

Donate through our IndieGoGo today: https://igg.me/at/edibletheology