AUT DICAMUS AUT EDAMUS
This old Latin quote that I made up myself means, “Either let’s meet, or let’s eat.”
In other words, don’t try to do both. Concentrate on either one or the other. What were we told when we were young? “Don’t talk with your mouth full.” Now, I see a good reason why, although that may not be the original reason why that oppressive rule was in the Little Golden Book of Manners.
You ever notice how quiet it often gets when the food is really good? Diners are too busy eating and enjoying their food, which is how it should be. It’s why diners need to take turns being talkative, so that other diners can finish their meals while just listening.
Let’s face it, eating together is often just an excuse for talking or socializing that can be done more effectively without the food. Why not just ditch the food? Perhaps it’s because we need to eat, anyway, so we might as well try to multitask and be more efficient with our time (Colossians 4:5).
Don’t get me wrong, I like food. Food can be and often is a thrill for me. I certainly don’t feel like Bill Hybels, who said that a gourmet meal said the same thing to him as a tuna sandwich. I just prefer food without the added struggle of having an intelligent conversation. I’m happy when others have to step away from the table and fill their plate, so that I can quickly enjoy a few more bites without distraction.
The older I get, the stronger I feel this way. I’ve had this problem called “essential tremors” since I was in grade school, not knowing that it was a medical condition rather than an embarrassing vice. The problem has gotten worse. I finally realized how bad it was getting at the luau served at an ECO National Gathering in California, where a very helpful covenant partner on duty that night came to my aid and helped me avoid dropping my whole tray of food on the ground.
It now takes considerable effort to assemble my meal and to get food from my plate to my mouth without repeatedly dropping it. I now warn churches where I serve or take Communion to handle the trays or little cups for me, ever since I gave one tray a messy 5.0 tremor on the Richter scale once while presiding over the Lord’s Supper at a nearby country church. Thankfully, it’s not bad enough to drug myself to fix it. And I am thrilled to have this problem, rather than any number of other medical problems that can spoil anyone’s meal far worse than what I struggle with.
I can fully understand why many of us, maybe a majority, feel differently. For them, eating together is not about the food, it’s about the social bonds and memories that sharing a meal creates. But for others, eating can sometimes be a necessary evil. Food is a good gift from God, but at times it can also be a distraction.
Not all of us share the same enthusiasm for meeting and eating. Sometimes I do. But at other times, I think, “Forget the food, let’s just meet and get our business done.” Is it any surprise that I say, “Either let’s meet, or let’s eat”?
Thankfully, I can honestly look forward to the great Wedding Supper of the Lamb foretold in God’s word (Revelation 19:9). Food itself may be abolished (1 Corinthians 6:13), but fellowship will continue, without the necessity of food itself to distract us. And I won’t have to worry anymore about keeping food on my fork.
