As a cross-cultural missionary, I have travelled to a lot of churches. I am usually there to present our burden to take part in what God is doing in a place far less-reached with the Gospel, as well as reporting on past and present ministry there.
Churches often ask us to stand in the foyer or in the fellowship hall after the meetings so that people can easily talk to the missionary. As we chat with different people, someone invariably walks up and declares something like, “I sure am glad that you have gone to Cambodia to serve the Lord! I could never do what you are doing!” Sometimes these words are said feelingly from loving gratitude. Sometimes the person speaks wistfully as though wishing somehow they could have such courage.
“I never could do that!” often refers to learning a foreign language, living far from family, or living in such a different culture or climate. One of the “I never could do thats” I have heard the most regards food: “I could never eat that kind of food that they eat over there like you do!”
Why do so many people make this comment about the inability to eat foreign food? Of all of the things a person might say, why would this matter come up so frequently?
Food is more important to us than we might admit.
Food is extremely important. We do eat something several times per day. We grow up eating a certain variety of foods based on our parents’ background, local culture, or ethnicity.
While some of us are more adventurous eaters, most of us go back to a certain more limited menu at home, to what we are accustomed to. Our taste buds crave what we normally eat, whether it is bread, rice, ramen, meat and potatoes, pizza, or balut. Our body actually adjusts to our diet, for good or for ill.
Being good Americans, we love pizza. When we have Cambodians over for a meal, we often make something foreign they would enjoy trying. Once we introduced some Cambodians to some homemade pizza. They enjoyed the pizza. As the meal was coming to an end, someone spoke up and said, “Where’s the rice?” They explained that they could not be full until they’d had some rice. Forever after we have made rice available no matter what is on the menu.
Our emotions are tied to food.
Certain things are staples that we might not care so much about, but there are foods that we relish eating. When we feel joyful or excited, want to celebrate or entertain guests, or take a special someone out to a restaurant, certain foods come to mind.
Shortages in the supply chain since COVID-19 arrived proved how emotionally tied to food many people are. People stockpiled all of their favorite food items, not just basic staples. The very thought of not having certain items was hard on some who had always been able to eat what they preferred. Yes, food can be far too important indeed.
Our identity is tied to food.
Think “Asian food” and you think rice. Think “Mexican” and no doubt tortillas and nacho chips will come to mind. The world’s billions of people rely on various combinations or staples: rice, wheat, corn, yams, potatoes, beans, or lentils. People groups also tend to like certain foods over others. Americans have a reputation for the love of dairy and beef.
Certain ethnicities can even be identified by smell because most eat certain easily identifiable pungent spices and herbs. Ethnic grocery stores and restaurants cater to the diaspora anywhere a significant number of an ethnicity lives. Food naturally defines us in certain ways. We enjoy camaraderie with those with similar food tastes. Eating food from “back home” is comforting.
Cross-cultural diet changes
When we first came to Cambodia, foreign imports were minimal and very expensive. We determined to eat and enjoy primarily Cambodian food, so we largely avoided an American diet anyway. Later on, as tourism boomed and Cambodia got engaged in the global marketplace, imports flooded in which catered to foreigners and curious Cambodians.
Foreigners will pay big bucks for those imports! I confess that dairy is our family’s greatest food weakness, so we’ve been willing to spend money on that. Much money can be spent chasing comfort foods. Expats (those who live away from their passport country) often turn to food for that comfort, if it is available.
Those that have called attention in conversation to the need to learn how to eat differently when living overseas are right in doing so. Changing one’s diet, especially if the new one is much less desirable, can be a spiritual challenge as much as a physical one.
We don’t have to like every Cambodian dish. Our family doesn’t have to eat Cambodian food at every meal, or even make it exactly the same way most of them do. We do, however, have to be able to eat their food, eat it regularly, be a good guest, and be a good host to those we seek to serve. One trick to doing this is to find those dishes your family likes most and focus on those.
The Jungle Stir Fry Challenge
Once I traveled regularly to a remote area with a small market town. I was discipling a young man there who had moved from our small city of Pursat to start a small shop repairing appliances. He needed to gain experience, so he went out where men like him were few.
It was a town that sprang up because of illegal logging and milling of hardwoods from the mountainous jungle nearby. Many there were engaged in illegal activities, so the atmosphere was harsh.
This young man made some friends while he was there. When I visited, I sought opportunities to share Christ with his contacts. One of these friends was a very hard case, not at all interested, at least as far as I could tell.
The Test
This fellow showed up one day when I was there. He had made some “jungle stir-fry,” he said. It was obvious that his dish was meant to be a test. Could I, a white-skin foreigner, eat the wild food poor people ate in the jungle? He gave me one bowl of chopped up stomach, intestines, and bitter greens and another bowl with stir fried weaver ants with their eggs. There was rice, of course. He handed it to me and stood there to watch me eat it.
I prayed fervently inside that the Lord would give me the ability to eat both things. I prayed that my countenance would in no way show my inner struggle. God gave me grace to eat them both, him watching me the whole time. If I had failed, he would have despised me, and it would have given him reason to despise Christ (deservedly or not). And he looked like he wanted me fail!
The ants and ant eggs were not so bad, but the chopped up hairy-like animal’s stomach and bitter herbs—that was seriously hard to put down. My stomach churns as I write!
Identifying with people over food
I have been amazed at how many times Cambodians have asked us about what we eat at home.
1) Do you like Cambodian food?
2) Does your family eat rice at home as a major part of your diet?
3) Does your family use common and distinctly Cambodian ingredients in your food, particularly brohok (fermented fish paste) and fish sauce?
We have been able to honestly answer in the affirmative to these questions. When we do, those who ask smile and thank us for loving their culture. It creates an immediate bond. It is important to them that we appreciate their food because it is a part of who they are, their identity. As missionaries, it is important for our testimony that we can identify with those we seek to reach, and food is a big part of that.
Food a tool for ministry
Maybe you have heard the saying, “Eat to live, don’t live to eat.” What if we tweaked that to say, “Eat to serve, not to be served.” Would you like to reach out to those around you in other ethnic groups? One major way to get to know people and build relationships is through food. Take an interest in their food and you take an interest in them.
No matter what our situation, God can give us enabling grace to “be all things to all people, that by all means I might save some (1 Corinthians 9:22).”[1] We must not allow our preferences, our personal comfort, or our taste buds be more important than the people we seek to reach for Christ.
[1] All Scripture quotations are from the ESV unless otherwise noted.
