I watch more Food Network shows than any others. I have one favorite I try to never miss, and a couple of others that I will watch if I have the time. Even reruns are good on the Food Channel.
Funny thing, though, I have only tried about half a dozen recipes from any of the shows I have watched. That’s not per show; that’s half a dozen total.
The thing I get most from these shows is technique—learning that it takes
more salt in your pasta water than you might think to really season it; that you
should season every layer of a dish not just the final product so that the dish
tastes seasoned not just salty; that meat continues to cook after you take it
out of the oven so you must take it out before it’s totally done or you end up
with tough, dry meat; that in 90% of cases fresh herbs are far better than
dried; and that real parmagiana reggiano is worth the money—not only does it
taste that much better, but you actually use less for the same effect.. I didn’t realize I was picking these things up until last Thanksgiving when I was told by three separate family members that it was the best turkey and dressing I had ever made.
I started thinking about that, and realized that is the way Satan gets to most of us, too. We don’t go out and do all the big, bad sins in the world, following his personal recipes for evil. But if we are not careful, the worldly techniques find their way into our lives. Our perspectives change from the spiritual to the physical. We become more concerned about physical security than spiritual security, more prone to rely on our own acumen than God’s promises, more willing to accept sin in others in order to get along.
I can remember preachers making jokes about the King James wording of 1
Peter 2:9: Ye are…a peculiar people. We think peer pressure is only a problem for teenagers, but none of us wants to be called “peculiar.” Four hundred years ago, when the KJV was translated, that word meant “private property.” You see, we are supposed to be God’s private property, not Satan’s. We should be learning God’s techniques, not the Devil’s. And I guess in the way the word is used today, that would make us appear a little peculiar.
In just two or three hours a week, the Food Channel has changed my cooking. Just think what might be happening to us in the many hours a week we are surrounded by unspiritual people concerned about unspiritual things. Being aware will help us to keep the influence of their techniques minimal. Better still, we should surround ourselves every chance we get with those who would help us learn better spiritual techniques. Let’s all help one another get to Heaven.
But you are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession [peculiar], that you may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God; who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9,10
Dene Ward
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