So here's some train of thought about hospitality...It won't surprise you to know that I've been thinking a lot about food recently. But over the last couple of days I've been reflecting a bit more on hospitality rather than just the production of a meal. On Sunday evening I had a few friends over for dinner - nothing fancy and certainly not too much work, not least because this is a group which has a 'what can I bring?' approach built in. So I made a stew - chicken, chorizo and butternut squash - and served it with (fair trade) rice and (fair trade) green beans. Wine and pudding (ice cream and (homemade) crème caramel) arrived courtesy of my guests.
I'll be honest, I don't always find 'entertaining' all that easy. That's partly because I want to do a good job with the food and partly because the social dimension has a habit of tapping into lots of my little insecurities. And at this point in my life, when I'm reliant on the hospitality of others, the concept of inviting others into your home takes on a slightly different dimension. But Sunday night was a lot of fun, not least, I think, because over the last four weeks the idea of cooking for others has become a lot less scary. The conversation was easy and varied and there was a lot of laughter.
Today at work I spent a lot of time with one of our regular volunteers, a lady in her early fifties with learning difficulties. She lives with her carer but is being encouraged to consider independent living and as part of her preparation she's just begun a basic cookery course. So today I asked her to help me with some prep for lunch at the Centre. We chopped onions, carrots and peppers for a basic mince sauce for pasta and at the end she told me how much she'd enjoyed just having a go.
Clearly the primary reason for her cookery course is so she's equipped to live independently, which is a brilliant aim in itself (provided she's also given all the other support she'll need in order for that to be successful). But it got me thinking about the relationship between giving and receiving hospitality. If she can learn to cook and run her own household, she can also - in theory - extend hospitality to others. Is that significant? Is there something particularly empowering (I realise that can be a loaded word) about being able to invite others into your life, rather than just being on the receiving end of the generosity of others? Does the possibility of offering hospitality also enable individuals to take more control over building community?
Instinctively I think the answer to those questions is yes, but I haven't really thought it through - what do you think? And if it turns out that we agree that the answer is yes, what are the implications of that?
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