Food for thought: where culinary arts “meat” communion

I’m an unusual gay man.

Let’s face it: not many of us jump with glee when Bon Appétit hits the stand, and in the same breath praise the theological insight of The Lutheran. My social world is equally as strange – Saturday night at X Bar, church on Sunday morning.

But on second look, maybe it’s not so strange.

When I was finishing up grad school for theology, spreading the word that my next adventure was culinary school, my professors didn’t look at me quizzically. Most of them laughed. One even quipped, “Well, it’s about time somebody came up with a recipe for flavorful communion bread.”

And when I was through with culinary school, I spent several months working for Project Angel Heart – an organization devoted to giving, helping, and improving the lives of others. If that’s not at the core of Christian social justice, I don’t know what is.

My point? The idea that food, my profession – and spirituality, my passion, are two divergent disciplines is a bit contrived. I have found more instances where the two intersect than I could ever have imagined. And I continue to be amazed at how well they play together.

As Out Front Colorado continues its service to the community, offering insight and valuable opinion to LGBT people, I aim to share my own views of what I’d like to call “lifestyle” issues. I’ve written mostly about religion and spirituality thus far, but it’s time to broaden the horizon – to show the points at which food, wine, spirits, entertainment, celebration and spirituality come together. Where they naturally coexist.

Every issue you’ll find my musings in these pages, and hopefully, you’ll be engaged in what I write and the ideas that come to the fore. I encourage you to reach out to me if you agree, disagree, or simply have an idea that I haven’t thought of. Lifestyles are many and varied, to be sure, and I will always welcome perspectives outside my own.

My one request: keep an open mind. Some of what I will write about might pinch a nerve, or enter risky territory. Other topics will be fun and worth a laugh or two. But I’m not doing my job very well if I haven’t made you think about something in a new way, or encouraged you to step outside the boundaries of the norm. From baking brownies to meditation practices, there’s always something new to learn.

I guess, really, my goal is to show that I’m not such an unusual gay man after all. And neither are you.