Slow Food

Eating at the pace of the Kingdom

A variety of revealing research has accumulated in recent years that examines the physical, social, and relational benefits of slowing down one’s eating. Most Americans, it turns out, are very bad at eating together, slowly, or attentively. Even as recently as 2021, the United States Department of Agriculture conducted research on how much time Americans spend eating each week. On average, Americans spend 10-15 minutes a day eating breakfast, 20-30 minutes a day eating lunch, and 25-40 minutes a day eating dinner. In contrast, nearly every other culture on the planet spends more time sitting down and eating with others. Some have even wondered if diminishing health among Americans is directly tied to the speed at which we eat.

There’s a pricetag to this. Our frenetic pace—which shapes our dietary habits—is causing significant damage to our lives. We don’t linger over long conversations when we share good meals. We eat our fast food on the go. And we lose touch with the appreciation for the food in front of us. When we slow down our eating, we tend to feel fuller and more satiated after we finish. We tend to eat much less because it is over a longer period of time. And we tend to have better digestion, to say nothing of increasing our gratitude for the things God is giving us.

Empire does fast food.

The Kingdom of God does slow food.

Photo by Yasin Onuş

This explains why my therapist will almost always require that I drink a cup of hot tea when we start a session. There is some scientific basis for the tea. When we’re in a hyper state of anxiety or fear (or in fight or flight), our body’s digestion slows down (I’m told) and can even come to a halt. The simple act of drinking some tea, chewing a mint, or eating a small snack is considered a “grounding technique” and helps connect us to our bodies when we are dysregulated. As silly as it may sound, slowing down to eat or have a cool drink with a friend in times of distress can actually help bring us back to earth and our bodies.

One of the more consistent descriptions I’ve noticed in the Gospels of Jesus is how often he is portrayed as “reclining” at a table with others. While he is at Matthew’s house, Jesus “reclines” and shares a meal with others (Mt. 9:10). Not just once, but twice, Luke records that Jesus visits a Pharisees house to “recline” and spends an evening meal over great theological discussion (Lk. 7:36-37; 11:37). To say nothing of his willingness to take his time on the way to the cross to stop for a meal at the “Last Supper.” (Mt 26:20; Mk 14:18; Lk 22:14; Jn 13:23, 25) Jesus did not merely come to love and die for the world on the cross—he also came to slow down and eat with human beings. The incarnation is in the cross and in the slowing down of a good meal. In fact, the only meal in which Jesus is described as eating on the go is with the express intent of provoking the theological ire of the Pharisees over eating some grain on the sabbath day (Mt 12:1; Mk 2:23; Lk 6:1).

Maybe this is why Jesus was always eating with his anxious disciples. The God of the universe, it turns out, knows more about our bodies and nervous system than we do. What if all these meals were Jesus grounding those around him? The eating habits of Jesus depict a Messiah who, though having a full travel itinerary and a world-transforming mission, took time to slow down and eat with real people.

While we do not know what every meal Jesus ate would have looked like, we can be edified to see that he chose to model a life of intentionally slowing down to enjoy meals, good stories, and shared experiences. It is no small thing to need to die for the world that it might be free of sin. But it is even greater when you recognize that the ministry of Jesus to the cross is paved with story after story of dining room scenes and experiences.

What are we to do with this? I know, for me, two things stand out. First, it is striking that Jesus did not see his eventual call to die on the cross as some excuse to avoid the social necessities of the world he came to save. He will die on the cross for the world. But, before that, they would dine. And, with that, how often do we use our busyness and importance in life as a trump card to get to say no to the simple acts of love that life in the Kingdom should necessitate? And, second, how Jesus actually appears to enjoy being with people. He isn’t too busy for them. He isn’t too predisposed to see them and share a meal with them. And he seems to truly understand that all humans share a common experience—the need to eat.

I recently heard Christian neuroscientist Curt Thompson suggest that we would be wise to give ourselves 30 minutes for each meal. He argues that the simple habit of doing this has profound physical and relational benefits—to say nothing of spiritual benefits. That is a big ask. But one that I suspect would have a profound impact on our lives were we to try it out. Not only should we see eating as a grounding technique, but it is also what grounds us as human beings. Of the first two commandments given by God in the Bible, we must remember that one of them is that they are “free to eat from any tree in the garden...[except] the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” (Gen. 2:16-17) Eating is as core to human experience as anything else. And to rush through our eating is to rob us of part of what makes us human beings.

The incarnation reveals that God is more willing to lower himself to becoming truly human than humans are. Too often, we are caught busily trying to become gods.

As a practice, consider the following five habits that not only ground you in your body, but also ground you in the life and practice of Jesus Christ:

1. Eat with others. Or, as that once famous book said, “Never eat alone.” Of course, eating in solitude is fine and important. But seek not to make it the default eating experience.

2. Put down the screens. Yes, let that cell phone be put aside. Why? When you are distracted, you don’t actually have the ability to fully taste the food you have been given by God. Remember, God gave you taste buds for a reason.

3. Eat at a sabbath pace. For a week, try giving 30 minutes to each meal. Warning: it will be hard. But the difficulty will be instructive and will likely show you how often you spend as little time as possible on the joy of ingestion.

4. Have spiritual conversations. The last meal Jesus shared with his disciples before his death on a cross is the very model for this thing. Jesus ends his earthly ministry with a meal (the last supper) and begins his new-creation, resurrection ministry with a meal by the sea (the first breakfast). In each of these, Jesus talked about deeply spiritual matters with his spiritual friends.

5. Chew more. Little more can be said. Don’t make your stomach do all the work. Chew more and save your intestines all the effort.

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Thanks, as always, for being a supporter and reader of the Low-Level Theologian. You can always find me wasting as little time as possible on Instagram and Facebook. Or, check out my podcast with Dr. Nijay Gupta at Slow Theology. Remember my most recent book, entitled Slow Theology: Eight Practices for Resilient Faith in a Turbulent World. See below! And, as always, don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or comments in the comment section below.