Taste and See

by Margaret Feinberg

  “you are understood”: As cited online in multiple variations.

  wild almonds: Numbers 17:8.

  wilderness of Sin: The Hebrew term “Sin” is unrelated to the English term, though it pops from the text like a droplet of scalding oil. Sin is one of seven wildernesses mentioned with the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to Canaan. Scholars estimate that the Israelites arrived at Sin around the time they had likely exhausted all their food supplies and were desperate for food and drink.

  or as infants: Scientists believe that our desires for particular foods begin in utero during the first trimester as gustatory and olfactory systems develop. Amniotic fluid and breast milk contain molecules from the mother’s diet. Foods flavors learned in both the womb and early infancy provide a foundation for food preferences for life. Infants prefer sweet and umami flavors. They reject bitter and sour tastes, perhaps showing a preference for high-calorie, protein-dense foods and an avoidance of potentially toxic or poisonous foods. These preferences can be modified through supportive environment, food availability, and relationships. But research reveals that what we eat growing up—all the way back to the womb—matters. This is interesting in light of the food cravings of the Israelites growing up in Egypt.

  seventy date palm trees: Exodus 15:27.

  in for supper: Revelation 3:20.

  but in our spirits: Thanks to Andrew McGowan for his insightful interview on December 21, 2017. I highly recommend his book, Ancient Christian Worship: Early Church Practices in Social, Historical, and Theological Perspective (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2016).

  “the LORD is good”: Psalm 34:8.

  Chapter 2: A Flaky Filet of Fish

  bat and bar mitzvahs: A few days after my departure, Ido sent me a picture of the prime minister of Israel enjoying a meal and afternoon speed boat ride with him on the lake.

  Jewish Renaissance man: The Decks Restaurant (open in summer) and the Pagoda (open year-round) serve scrumptious food. One of my favorites is the steak which is served over Jerusalem pine and olive charcoal. The sushi is fantastic, too. When you visit, look at the legs of the tables, where you’ll find that some are marked with a tuna. This is Ido’s signature for the pieces he’s built.

  as they do today: A later visit to the original Yigal Allon Museum in Kibbutz Ginosar, where the boat is displayed near its discovery, confirmed that the boat is only 4.3 feet high. The dimensions make the vessel all the more susceptible to the furious storms that whip up waves on the Galilee. Also, I debated for some time whether to use the word fishers or fishermen in this chapter since women are incredible fishers, too. Leif reminded me that growing up in Alaska, almost all the women he knew preferred to be called “fishermen” over “fisherwomen” or even “fishers,” though women’s preferences in twenty-first century Alaska probably has little bearing on first century Israel. For an insightful article on this check out: https://parade.com/544561/rachelweingarten/alaskas-female-fishermen-yes-thats-really-a-thing-on-gender-labels-finding-zen-and-weathering-lifes-storms/.

  it’s nearly swamped: Mark 4:37.

  “Quiet! Be still.”: Mark 4:39.

  bitters the air: Exodus 7:18. Tyler R. Yoder. Fishers of Fish and Fishers of Men: Fishing Imagery in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2006), 12–19.

  fresh fish sticks: Numbers 11:5. Supposedly all these “farmed fish” in Egypt gave the people worms, and so the Israelites likely brought a lot of parasites with them out of Egypt. God led them to the bitter waters of Marah where the people drank what one interpreter supposed is lyme-infused water that would have killed all the parasites in their intestines; hence God’s promise that they would not suffer from the diseases of the Egyptians (Exodus 15:22–27). Even though the Israelites craved this Egyptian delicacy, it was in fact killing them.

  don’t worship any fish: Deuteronomy 4:16–18.

  let God’s ark go: 1 Samuel 5:1–7.

  and the Galilee: King Manasseh constructed the gate (2 Chronicles 33:14) and the sons of Hassenaah rebuilt it (Nehemiah 3:3). The market closed on the Sabbath, but some Jews tried to circumvent the restriction by purchasing from Phoenician fisherman. Nehemiah called them out on this. Also, this is the gate through which Zephaniah predicts that a loud cry will be heard on the Day of the Lord.

  scales on the skin: https://www.southernliving.com/food/how-to/tips-how-to-cook-fish.

  “will be overthrown”: Jonah 3:4.

  heart to his people: Isaiah 50:2; Jeremiah 16:16; Amos 4:2; and Zephaniah 1:3.

  meets the Dead Sea: Ezekiel 47:10.

  God is involved: Living creatures will teem as the purifying power of God flows like a fountain.

  good fish from the bad: Matthew 13:48.

  considered unclean: Leviticus 11:9–10.

  “for my tax and yours”: Matthew 17:24–27.

  caught with a line: Mendel Nun, The Sea of Galilee and Its Fishermen in the New Testament (Israel: Kibbutz Ein Gev, 1989), 45–46.

  from the shore: John 21:4–6.

  sounded enormous to me: You’ll find it called the Sea of Tiberias as well as the Sea or Lake of Ginosar (or Gennesaret). All of these are referring to the same body of water. The Old Testament uses the name Sea of Kinneret, which means “harp” because of the harp shape of the lake, in referring to its land allotment of the twelve tribes of Israel as well as the borders of the Promised Land.

  “nets for a catch”: Luke 5:4.

  Simon Peter obliges: Luke 5:5.

  “Leave me to myself.”: Luke 5:8 MSG.

  follow Jesus: Luke 5:11.

  write them all down: John 21:25.

  disappointed in their work: Wilhelm H. Wuellner observes, “The first call is substantively the same as the second call after Easter. Jesus the caller, and himself the called, together with the disciples, the called and themselves the callers are the symbol of the New Israel, the community of the called and the calling, the fished and the fishing, who thus manifest the truth of God as power.” Wilhelm H. Wuellner, The Meaning of “Fisher of Men” (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1967), 172.

  “net was not torn”: John 21:11. People have debated the meaning of the 153 fish, but no single theory has won widespread support. The more likely reason, I believe, is simply that it represents just how many fish were actually caught. Then and today fishermen love to count their catches.

  miracle on miracle: Nun, The Sea of Galilee and Its Fishermen in the New Testament, 43. It’s worth noting Peter’s catch pales in comparison with the two already overloaded boats.

  strolled with ease: To see and print a copy of a map of Galilee, visit www.margaretfeinberg.com/tasteandsee.

  God breathed new life: For more details on the cancer journey, read the Fight Back with Joy book and Bible study.

  “fish” in Greek:

  I = Jesus

  Ch = Christ

  Th = God

  Y = Son

  S = Savior

  in safe company: https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/2008/august/what-is-origin-of-christian-fish-symbol.html.

  Chapter 3: A Plate of Sweet and Succulent Figs

  every snack between: A frugivore is a fruit eater. If I were trapped on a desert island and forced to survive on a single type of food, I’d pick fruit every time. The vast array of flavors, the kaleidoscope of colors, the rich source of nutrients would make island life more delightful. Plus, I could grow avocadoes, tomatoes, eggplant, okra, and almonds, because those are considered fruit too.

  cherries for dessert: Fruits in Salt Lake City ripen in a much more condensed time frame because of the short growing season.

  gleaning unpicked fruit: One of my favorite cherry tree finds is in Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City. If you walk the fenced edges of the park midsummer, you’ll discover cherry trees bursting with deliciousness, ripe for the picking, and available to the public.

  top of my list: “Fruit-forward” is a term often used to describe beverages, including wines and coffees, that are frui
ty and jammy. Also, I’ve rarely met a fruit I don’t love, except for the durian, which stinks so bad it’s illegal on subways in Singapore. I couldn’t get past the stench to try it.

  natural sugars ever since: Genesis 1:1–11.

  “first fruits”: Deuteronomy 26:1–4.

  technically fruits: Leviticus 25:19, “the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill.”

  means “grape”: 1 Kings 18:20 and Joshua 15:50. Even several people are named after fruits. Tamar, the woman who tricks her father-in-law into going on a date with her, means “date” (Genesis 38); Tappuah, a son of Hebron, can be translated “apple” (1 Chronicles 2:43); and Rimmon, the father of Saul’s captains, means “pomegranate” (2 Samuel 4:2). For more fruity insights, visit: www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/fruit-in-the-bible/.

  once and for all: Miriam Feinberg Vamosh, Food at the Time of the Bible (Nashville: Abingdon, 2004), 42–43. See John 12:13.

  high priests’ robes: Exodus 28:33, 34; 1 Kings 7:20. I’ve watched YouTube videos on how to eat it neatly, but I prefer ripping open the leathery crimson skin, plucking out the juicy seeds, and popping them in my mouth. But I never eat pomegranates alone. As a messy eater, this is one of those truly messy foods that’s best shared.

  “grapes in the desert”: Deuteronomy 24:21 and Hosea 9:10. Jesus also reveals himself as the vine and his father as the vinedresser. It’s worth noting a boutique vintner will visit his vines multiple times during a growing season and trim back just a branch, or leaf, or shoot until every cluster yields both maximum flavor and fruitfulness. This imagery reveals God’s tender care and intimate involvement with us. In the Scouting the Divine: My Search for God in Wine, Wool, and Wild Honey book and Bible study, I spent time with a vintner, shepherd, beekeeper, and farmer in order to better understand the agrarian themes of Scripture. There I explore the vine imagery in depth.

  fragrance of apples: Song of Songs 7:8.

  God’s instruction: Deuteronomy 32:10; Psalm 17:8; Proverbs 7:2.

  sin and shame: God replaces the fig leaves with animal skins, also the first animal sacrifice to cover sin and remove shame in the Bible. See Genesis 3:21.

  Madera, California: Figs, believed to have originated in Mesopotamia, became so beloved among the Greeks and Romans that some even worshiped the fruit. Ancient Olympians were awarded figs for their athletic accomplishments and the Roman author Pliny the Elder celebrated the fruit’s healing properties in his writings. In 1796, Franciscan missionaries planted the first fig trees in the United States in Southern California. As their missions advanced up the California coast, the famed Black Mission fig spread throughout the land. From David Sutton, Figs: A Global History (London: Reaktion Books, 2014), 8–9. For a wonderful overview of the history of figs, check out: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170116-the-tree-that-shaped-human-history.

  I understand why: What’s fun about figs is that each variety has totally different flavor aspects. Some are sweeter, savory, or tart, and even textures are different. If you were lucky enough to try a Black Mission first, consider trying other varieties even if you didn’t like it. Also check out: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94391625.

  high perishability: Only increases in customer demand will help change store policies.

  other fig trees: A few years before, some writers mistakenly assumed all fig trees required caprification, or wasp pollination, to flourish. They described the centers of figs full of insect carcasses from wasps who sought sweet nectar and died inside. Fig sales dropped as a result of the false reporting. Calimyrna figs (which require wasp pollination) declined from half the figs grown in California to less than 500 acres. “What they failed to mention,” Kevin told me, “is the fig tree is a cousin of the rubber tree. The sap is so caustic it would dissolve the remains of wasps if there were any. It’s the same reason my workers have to be covered head to toe.”

  “early fruit on the fig tree”: Hosea 9:10.

  the more one discovers: Sutton. Figs: A Global History, 18.

  learns of Jesus: John 1:44–51.

  Jesus and his love: Luke 19:1–9.

  sun-dried and processed: All the shaking reminds me of the words of the prophet Nahum: “All thy strong hold shall be like fig trees with the first-ripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater” (Nahum 3:12 KJV).

  it will be cut down: Luke 13:6–9.

  “summer is near”: Matthew 24:32.

  everything else: Insights drawn from Barbara Brown Taylor, Bread of Angels (Lanham, MD: Cowley Publications, 1997), 156–158.

  different person: Daniel J. Simons and Daniel T. Levin, “Change Blindness: Theory and Consequences,” Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 1998, 644–49.

  shape our perceptions: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-change-blindness-2795010.

  “fruit from you again”: Mark 11:14.

  their own fig tree: See, for instance, Micah 4:4.

  fig tree has withered: I asked Kevin if it’s possible for a fig tree to wither that fast. There’s a virus called the fig leaf mosaic virus, he says. It doesn’t kill the whole tree, but he’s gone out on a Sunday and the tree is fine; on Tuesday, it withers; by Friday, the branches appear dead. Whether or not the virus was involved, the Gospel account grounds us in Christ’s authority over creation.

  “fruit from you again”: Mark 11:14.

  work of the Holy Spirit: Galatians 5:22.

  “simply, and unaffectedly”: Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest (Grand Rapids: Discovery House, 1992), May 18.

  Chapter 4: A Loaf of Bread Just Out of the Oven

  unleavened bread: In arguing over the duration of how long after water hits flour it will begin to leaven, the rabbis decided to base it on the length of time that it takes to walk a “mil” (a Talmudic unit of distance). Because they loved the law of God and thought nothing as important as keeping it, the rabbis believed that the best way to help people observe the law and keep them from even getting close to violating it either intentionally or unintentionally was to put up a “fence” around the law (this phrase is based on Deuteronomy 22:8, in which the people are commanded to build fences around the roofs of their houses to keep people from falling off and thus making the homeowners guilty of manslaughter). The “fence” consisted of rabbinic guidelines that, if observed by the people, would keep them far away from breaking the law of God because the “fence” requirement exceeded the basic requirement of the law. If there were any dispute between two guidelines, the stricter was always considered the better. In this case, twenty-four minutes to bake bread would keep you from violating the law against leavening, but if twenty-four minutes is good, eighteen is better because it is six minutes further away from violating the law. One wonders if these rabbis may have regretted their decision to place the “fence” so far out when they got home and explained the new requirement to their wives, who had to bake the bread.

  the most conservative burn it: As in other kosher eateries, Ido’s waitstaff work for weeks before Passover as well as all night before the festival, scrubbing every inch of the restaurant and then redesigning the menu as leaven-free for the upcoming week.

  Pharisees and Sadducees: Matthew 16:6 NASB. Various translations use the word “yeast” instead of “leaven” throughout the Bible.

  also known as farro: Exodus 9:32, Isaiah 28:25, and Ezekiel 4:9all use “spelt” in the NIV translation.

  “but commemorative”: Today, nonorthodox Jews have developed creative culinary ways to make matzo delicious during the week of Passover, including homemade chocolate toffee matzo, nine-layer no-bake matzo cake, and s’mores.

  Nom, nom: Goat butter is a great option for those with dairy allergies who enjoy the tangy taste. Also, the phrase “nom nom” is thought to have originated with the sounds made by Cookie Monster when eating cookies.

  Genesis 4:20; Genesis 4:22. Researchers debate whether the original harvested grains sprouted
in the Fertile Crescent regions of Africa or in the Middle East. When humans shifted from hunter-gathering to domestication, they planted grains. At first, those hard kernels proved difficult to chew and hard to digest, but if the exterior was removed and the broken grains were mixed with water, a porridge emerged. One day, whether by accident or culinary experiment we’ll never know, flour and water were seared by heat, and the first loaf was baked.

  invention of the plow: In later days, the prophets would proclaim peace by describing swords beaten into plowshares (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3), but the plow allowed people to grow grain more efficiently and effectively.

  received as a gift: The end product looked much different from the refined flour we enjoy today. With thick, uneven flour marred by stones, teeth were often shattered and broken from the bread in the ancient world, archaeologists have discovered.

  Arab Spring uprisings: Some identify social media as the instigator of the Arab protests. While it played a significant role, the protests were preceded by a series of bad grain years and a sudden rise in the cost of the grains. See: https://www.npr.org/2011/02/18/133852810/the-impact-of-rising-food-prices-on-arab-unrest and https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/07/climate-change-food-crisis-price-bread-political-instability and https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/world-july-dec11-food_09–07.

  gluten intolerance: http://www.uchospitals.edu/pdf/uch_007937.pdf and https://www.forbes.com/sites/rosspomeroy/2014/05/06/are-you-really-gluten-intolerant-maybe-not/#441e399e2a20.

  low-carb lifestyle: Skipping bread has become an American fad alongside a much-needed diet alternative for those with food allergies and other medical conditions. I was surprised that many gluten-free breads and desserts are higher in calories and more fattening than those with gluten.

  “have food to eat”: Genesis 3:19 NASB and NIV.

  person to walk: Leviticus 26:26 KJV.

  “millet and spelt”: Ezekiel 4:9.

  nightmarish news: Genesis 40:15–17.

  baby is on the way: Genesis 18:6.

  bread of ravens: Genesis 25:34 and 1 Kings 17:6.