The Pentecostal Diet
My version of Swiss Chalet
Can I let you in on a little secret?
Before I do that, you must understand this truth about me. I love supporting the local food scene in Edmonton. I'm always happy to sit at a great independent restaurant and enjoy a meal from a hard-working cook. Whether the meal is the legendary road trip from RGE RD, the incredibly tasty OTTO dog, or the Miso Black Ramen at Dorinku Osaka. I love the flavors and culture that come out of these local treasures.
That being said, if you ask me at any time of day, "Hey Jordan, do you want to grab a quarter chicken dinner at Swiss Chalet?" My answer will probably almost be, "yes, yes, I would." I dig this meal!
There's something very comforting and nostalgic about this simple dish that I find hard to resist. Why, you ask? For many years, this was the post-church meal for my family growing up. It's a bit of an inside joke for those with a bit more history with the '90s Canadian evangelical movement. Once the church service was finished, many of us would drive to the local Swiss Chalet with other families and enjoy a meal together. It was a part of the culture. The convenience and fast-food cost made it easy for people to sit down and talk after church. Your typical suburban Swiss Chalet would be full of Pentecostals, Baptists, and Canadian Missionary Alliance churchgoers around lunchtime on any given Sunday.
Edmonton has changed a great deal over the last 30 years. The world has moved to Canada and settled in Alberta. As a result, over time, we have a plethora of options to choose from when it comes to styles of food. Quality Bibimbap, curries, or Tibs can be experienced with delight throughout the city. Had you placed this menu in front of my ten-year-old self, I would have automatically defaulted to the Quarter Chicken Dinner—partially because of being young and fussy, but also because of a resistance to cultures that were not mine. We all love comfort and feel safe around things we understand. Food is integral to culture. Our menus are informed by our history. The meals of our culture are a part of our identity. Eating Kosher, Halal, or even veganism are examples of culture supporting its own identity and values. For many, there's a spiritual component to that choice in diet, but there's also a cultural component. "This is who you are" is the subtle and powerful message present in every bite when someone eats the food of their culture. Food can make us feel safe.
But then something happens... We're introduced to new flavors and smells. You have a coworker who comes from another country who opens up her tiffin at the lunch table and introduces you to a meal that uses a different spice rack than the one you have at home. She offers you samosa, and you give it a try. At first, you take a small bite of the fried pastry, and almost instantly, your brain says, "Oh!..I don't know what this is...but I love it!" and you devour the whole thing. The samosa has now become a gateway of intrigue and appreciation for the kitchen that your coworkers grew up in.
The book of Acts records a famous incident where Peter, one of Jesus' disciples, has a powerful and mystical experience. The story goes that one afternoon...
10He became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.
11He saw heaven open and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12It contained all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, as well as birds of the air. 13Then a voice said to him: "Get up, Peter, kill and eat!"
14 "No, Lord!" Peter answered. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."
15The voice spoke to him a second time: "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
16This happened three times, and all at once the sheet was taken back up into heaven.
According to Peter's religion, he was required to keep a very specific diet. The Hebrew diet was integral to his identity, and an expression of faith in the world. He knew the rules, and this vision he was having was messing with those rules. It would have been shocking for him to be asked to eat food he was not allowed to consume. However, this vision was not just about being able to experience the joys of a smokey whole hog BBQ dinner; this vision was really about people. People who were beyond the borders of his culture and religion.
Let me suggest a fictional alternate universe version of Peter's experience.
"One day, Peter became hungry and fell into a trance. He saw Heaven opening and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by it's four corners. It contained unleavened bread as a gift to all people of the earth. Peter then saw all people's of the earth accepting the bread with gladness and forsook the meals of their ancestors."
This vision would have felt normal to Peter, and he wouldn't have resisted this dream's outcome.
The vision that Peter received put the lion's share of responsibility on him to enter the homes of people outside his faith, tradition, and culture. This would be hard because it would pit him against the rules he grew up in. The following labels would be placed on him by many in his culture. Labels like: compromised, shallow, weak, and worldly. It's easy to imagine the more conservative elements of the faith bemoaning, "Oh, Peter, he's just trying to be cool and fit in with the culture. Don't be like Peter, who no longer follows the true way. He's just mindlessly accepting anything that drops onto his plate." These dismissive responses are alive and well today. I know because I've heard them.
Eventually, Peter may have replied, "But I love these people. Even though they're not from my faith or culture, I want to be with them. Not only are they my friends, but I'm learning from them, and my goodness! They make extraordinary food! You need to try this paella! I accept them as they are. They are not impure."
Peter was a Pentecostal Christian. What I mean by that is that he was living in a power and faith that believers received at the church's founding. Christians all over the world celebrate Pentecost this weekend. Earlier in the books of Acts, the Bible records believers praying together at the festival of Pentecost, which was celebrated on the 50th day after Passover. They experienced the supernatural and began speaking the languages of every nation and culture living in Jerusalem at the time. I believe this was also God’s way of pushing believers into building relationships beyond the borders of religion. The language of the world was not being translated for believers-It was the reverse. World conquerors have always dominated by insisting others learn their language. Servants learn the language of the people they serve.
This event pushed the fledgling faith of these believers in a bold new direction. They would speak languages that weren't theirs and, after Peter's vision, dine at previously forbidden tables. They would open themselves up to the people around them.
This kind of faith pushes Christians beyond the boundaries of comfort and into a world where they could one day sit at a restaurant and enjoy Filipino Sisig or an Argentine Choripan. Not just to enjoy the food but to love the people who serve it. A faith where Christians would learn to speak new languages not just to become comfortable in the world but to better understand and appreciate it.
Sisig, an absolutely wonderful Filipino dish
As a Christian living in Canada, I'm often reminded that there is such a fantastic opportunity to learn and share with other communities and cultures. To love the different and diverse. There is so much we can learn from the deep ancient experiences of Indigenous people. There's also a great deal for us to learn from the resilience of new Canadians. We would be wise to sit at the tables of those in the LGBTQ2s+ community. I continue to do my best in all of those examples, and my experience has been that showing humility, acceptance, and willingness to learn has always been well received.
More often than not, the response has been a mutual acceptance. That's the power of hospitality at work.
"8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
These are the words of Jesus pushing his followers to places they'd never dreamed of. To meet people who lived off of different fields, hunted in deep forests, and drew fish from unknown depths. This lived faith continues to build bridges and heal divides.
There's nothing wrong with enjoying Swiss Chalet. I'm glad it was a part of my life growing up. I'm so happy my life and faith discovered that there's more out there. More than anything, I'm blessed by the people I've met who come from different cultures and backgrounds. Their food, their lives, and their stories have enriched my life. Because of them, I understand, "For God so loved the world..." because now I do as well.