Catch of the Day: A Man of the Earth

On Saturday I watched some unusually fascinating television. Jamie Oliver, the Naked Chef, was in Sicily – working with (learning from) an Italian chef. His restaurant was in an incredibly beautiful small village overlooking the Mediterranean.

Jamie spent a week with this chef who was a complete master. His restaurant was low key in appearance: intimate, but no flash. Very down to earth. Yet every night it was packed with foodies and gourmets. Every night this chef performs for the ultra critical crowd, some even come over from the mainland just to eat his food. Every night they leave happy.

The chef’s daily routine makes this even more amazing. Late afternoon he goes to the little market area and buys the catch of the day. Around 4:00 he starts cooking. The evening is spent feeding his patrons. Later on he joins them and they all wine their way late into the night. The next day he does it all over again.

There is no set menu. Everyday he completely depends upon whatever the fishermen catch, and whatever selection of fresh vegetables come over on the boat from the mainland. Based on the raw ingredients that show up each day, this chef comes up with a menu that thrills the most critical palates. Every day.

For all this, Jamie described him as a true man of the earth – living in day-tight compartments, making masterpieces out of whatever each day brings him. And he does it all tucked away in a small village for limited notoriety.

I watched this during a break from sermon preparation. It kind of solidified my impression that preaching the Word of God has a lot of parallels to delivering meals. There are other analogies, but this is the one that works best for me. But here’s the twist – the Word of God is the real meal, and everyday food is the analogy to that reality. See John 6.

Good meals bring people together, they give sustenance to the partakers, and inspire them to try their own hand at feeding themselves well. Exquisite meals can happen from time to time, but good meals should happen daily.

Watching this Naked Chef episode from Sicily was almost like watching something from another planet to my North American eyes. You just don’t see people living like that here – daily displays of mastery from the raw materials of the day? What about the five year plan? What about corporate strategy? What about buying ingredients wholesale? What about hiring more staff and starting new locations?

This man of the earth gave me a fresh appreciation for The Man of the Earth (his version was “son of man”). How did Jesus minister? Day-tight compartments, in obedience to the voice of the Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Not a lot of time spent on logistics and strategy, yet such an uncanny mind-blowing impact on the world. And all in only 3 years.