Daikoku Restaurant, Takapuna, Friday night
'Teppanyaki' literally means grilled on a metal plate in Japanese. This post-WW2 cuisine style is said to have originated with "Shigeji Fujioka of the Japanese restaurant chain Misono. The restaurant claims to be the first to introduce the concept of cooking Western-influenced food on a teppan in Japan, in 1945."(Wikipedia)
This style of cooking has developed into an artform, akin those bartenders who can put on a show while creating a fancy cocktail. The Teppanyaki chef is a showman with a personality, creating theatre as he or she prepares food in front of the customers, slicing and dicing and seemingly juggling fire.
The grill is surrounded on three sides by the diners, who may be a group, or previously unknown to one another. Rapport and laughter develop over the evening.
Last Friday it captured my imagination and got me thinking about the way we do hospitality in church. Food is so central to all human communities. Where there is food scarcity, the church is often there providing for those in need. Where there is reason to celebrate, food is at the centre of our plans. I suppose this short piece is a reminder to myself and others never to take food for granted but to remember its centrality to the life and community that are God's gifts to us. May our church be known for its welcome and generosity, while being open to the art and fun of sharing food together.
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