My church has some peculiar but exciting Lenten traditions. The first is a daily preaching series at noon on the weekdays of Lent. It is food for the soul and spirit. The second is a Waffle Shop. It is food for the tummy. For over eighty years, volunteers have made and served food to between 200 and 600 people each day before and after the preacher gives the sermon.
Daily specials in the Waffle Shop include shrimp gumbo, turnip greens, fish pudding (far tastier than its name), and shrimp mousse. Regular entrees are chicken noodle soup and chicken salad made with chunks of white meat and homemade mayonnaise. And of course there are waffles: waffles with syrup, waffles with sausage, and waffles with chicken hash.
The most surprising items on the menu are desserts. Desserts in Lent?? –Boston creme pie, lemon chess pie, fudge pie, peppermint ice cream with homemade chocolate sauce…. When I moved to Memphis five years ago, people told me, “Here, we fast after Lent.”
I thought it was crazy. I was prepared for my pietistic and smug self to challenge such decadent feasting during this penitential time. But I have come to love this crazy, busy Lenten activity. Not only do the profits go for outreach, but the many hands involved create a community of work, purpose, and play.
For most weeks this year I have been a waitress two days a week. The hectic pace of serving a table of twelve or sixteen is right up my multi-tasking, can’t-stand-still alley. Balancing trays of iced tea, spaghetti with meat sauce, and tomato aspic is my idea of a good time. I hope heaven is half this much fun.
And speaking of heaven, there are other components of being in the Waffle Shop which make me think of the kingdom. There are some true saints who have been running the kitchen for decades. Other people give up free time and lunch hours to help out. What I enjoy most is the opportunity to be part of this large community of cooperation. Except for some occasional grumpiness at a spilled pitcher of milk or a persnickety diner, the mood amongst workers, servers, and guests is hospitable and forgiving.
I also like being pulled away from my usual solitary confinement. As a person who spends much of her day writing at a computer, the chance to be with other human beings is welcome. Being alone all of the time at home is habit and hermit-forming. What I’ve learned from the Waffle Shop experience is that I need to seek out regular community and regular opportunities for service. It’s the combination of those two things that I crave.
Maybe the feeling I have had this Lent while serving and bussing tables is what the disciples felt when they shared the loaves of bread and fish. “Then [Jesus] took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied.” (Matthew 15:34-37a) For the past five weeks I have served; I have eaten; and I am satisfied.
The above links show recipes.
Photos: Sybil MacBeth
