We all have “food stories” that we could share–tales of strange foods that we’ve tried, or even of foods that we really, really did not want to eat. As for my own food stories, the time we went to a Chinese wedding banquet and found ourselves at the “authentic Chinese food table” as opposed to the “Americanized Chinese food table” stands out in my mind. We ate some unusual dishes that evening–most of which I will be fine with never trying again.
Mormon missionaries learn to love the places they serve by living as the natives do.
People who travel abroad for an extended period often have the opportunity to try a myriad of new dishes. Some of them will be wonderful, and others will seem very strange And Mormon missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly referred to as “the Mormons“) who serve in foreign countries often have a plethora of food stories to share when they return home. Not only do they stay abroad for nearly two years, but when possible they eat meals prepared by other people. They follow the counsel of the Savior to His early disciples: “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? …for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)
So that they can concentrate on teaching the gospel and serving the Lord during the two years that they serve their missions, Mormon missionaries do not have paying jobs. Their financial support comes from money they earned and saved prior to leaving on their missions, their families and friends who are financially able to help support them, and from the funds of the Mormon Church when necessary. To help with their support, members in local congregations are encouraged to provide dinners for the missionaries serving in their areas. This not only saves the missionaries the expense of paying for these meals, but it also allows them to spend more time in service instead of in meal preparation.
When possible, members are invited to have the missionaries in their homes to eat with their families. This can be a blessing to these members, as the missionaries bring a special spirit with them and are generally happy and enthusiastic about the gospel. The missionaries also share a spiritual thought with the family from the scriptures, and share their testimonies of the gospel. (As a sidenote, my family enjoys having the Mormon missionaries in our home and feel that doing so has blessed our lives many times over.) Visiting with the local members also helps the missionaries get to know them, and can spiritually uplift the missionaries as well.
For Mormon missionaries who are uncertain about local food, however, this system can pose a challenge. Rather than getting to choose which foods they feel comfortable eating, they must eat the foods prepared for them–or risk going hungry or offending those who prepared the food.
A columnist for the Deseret Morning News in Salt Lake City, Utah, recently invited returned missionaries to share their “food stories.” Following are just a few of the interesting stories he received:
“Eating live baby octopi is… a treat. Imagine trying to eat something that is desperately trying to get back out of your mouth and has the strength of survival in it.” (From a returned missionary who served in South Korea.)
“While welfare service missionaries in Thailand, we were served a basket containing little leaf-wrapped packages. We began to unwrap the packages held with string. I am sure my eyes widened as my stomach lurched. They were filled with fried crickets, ants and ant eggs… We did learn as the months went on that the adding of insects to scrambled eggs or to soup made the meal extra special.”
“The most interesting thing I ate on my mission (in Ecuador) was ‘ubre,’ which is cow udder. It was rubbery and not very flavorful.”
“We were invited to the home of a member of the branch presidency (local church leader) to have dinner (on our mission in Argentina). As we sat at their humble but clean table, a rolled meat dish was served to us. We asked what type of meat it was. The branch counselor asked us to just eat it and he would tell us at the end of the meal…With some trepidation we ate it and discovered it was really very good. Still, the host would not tell us what was in it until the end of the meal. Finally, he informed us the meat roll was made of pickled muskrat.”
At the head of the article, a scripture in Luke is quoted: “And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.” (Luke 10:8)
Perhaps this scripture describes it best. But many Mormon missionaries experience a miracle of sorts–they really do learn to love the food of the people they serve.
And many of them just do the best they can, and then share their “food stories” when they return home.
The entire article with food stories contributed by returned missionaries can be accessed at deseretnews.com.
