A good meal makes a man

feel more charitable toward

the world than a good sermon.

— Arthur Pendenys

I dislike washing my car, but enjoy washing my dishes. If I’ve experienced a busy day, I bake to relax in the evening. I rarely watch a movie without a Cook’s Illustrated in my hand and if I could tour anyone’s kitchen it would be Ina Garten’s, that Barefoot Contessa.

I’m a foodie. I like cookbooks, prep hints, and kitchen gadgets. Good ingredients and skilled techniques make for wonderful food and increased pleasure when eating. It may take longer to get a meal on the table and additional time to clean up, but time spent cooking with friends and family also sets up an atmosphere for companionship, memories and communication.

You can probably understand my initial disappointment when both Klope girls announced during their teen years that they’d rather order out than help in the kitchen or learn to cook.

But that was years ago. Today both enjoy cooking and talk about food on a regular basis. It’s not unusual for me to get a text from one of the girls, asking about particular ingredients or a favorite recipe. And by popular demand, a Klope family cookbook is in the works.

Today Megan is into quick and healthy as she is a busy school teacher. Katie is presently fascinated with baking and designing a Sponge Bob Square Pants cake to gift Megan’s school children before they start spring break. I watch with pleasure.

Food also plays a significant role this week for people around the world who follow the Christian liturgical calendar. With Wednesday marking the start of the 40-day Lenten season, a time when many choose to contemplate the sacrificial gift of Christ by restricting their own intake of favorite foods, Tuesday served as the last hurrah for many around the world. “Shrove Tuesday” or “Pancake Day,” also known as “Fat Tuesday” by the Mardi Gras crowd, is celebrated in many ways around the world. While foods vary, ingredients always include eggs, milk, sugar and butter.

German Americans often eat fastnacht, made of friend potato dough and served with dark corn syrup. Hawaiians often make batches of malasadas, which resemble doughnuts without holes. In Ireland and the United Kingdom, believers eat pancakes that resemble crepes. These are topped by strawberry syrup and black currants.

All of these traditions serve to pass values, cultural understanding and faith from one generation to the next. As the world changes around us, gas prices soar, and Charlie Sheen roars, marking historical traditions with food, family and friends bring additional meaning to common days, speak love and enjoyment, and bring faith into the forefront of our lives.

We ate pancakes made from a recipe included in the best-selling cookbook, Cook This Not That! Using yogurt and cottage cheese, these pancakes are not only light and moist, but filled with flavor and healthy protein. If you’d like the recipe, e-mail me (faithfulliving@hotmail.com) and I’ll pass it along. It’s a delicious way to begin a new tradition.