Chicago Semester

Food and Religion in Chicago

Posted by Cynthia Stewart in Around Town in CS Seminars | Nov 08, 2010

This past May, I was in New Haven attending a National Society of Experiential Education workshop for Chicago Semester. During lunch one day, I had the opportunity to share with one of the professors about my religion class at Chicago Semester, and I informed her that I expose the students to the diversity of religions within the Chicagoland area. Each semester, we visit a Buddhist Temple, Muslim Mosque, Jewish Synagogue, Hindu Temple, and an affluent Presbyterian Church that does outreach to the least of these, as well as a very progressive African-American Catholic Church. She then began to share about how she teaches her undergraduate students about the nutritional value of food. So we began to talk about how food and religion could be combined as a course. I kept that thought, as I returned to Chicago. So all summer I began to do research on the different religions and how food is related to their faith.

As I designed the syllabus for the class, I came up with a few great ideas. This upcoming Wednesday, I will have a Jewish chef from Wolfgang Puck, which is located in Spertus Institute (a Jewish institution), come and talk to the class about Judaism and food. I also picked restaurants throughout Chicago that reflected the foods that would be eaten by a specific religious group. Each of the students picked a restaurant and just this past week, they all did a restaurant review presentation. Here are a few comments from their presentation papers; “I tried the Naan, which was recommended by the waiter, it is Indian style bread,” “I tried the Musaheb, which is broiled, boneless breast of chicken with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and sauce served in Lebanese bread. This sandwich was amazing,” “Everything on their menu is kosher. This is very important to Jewish people.” They all stated that this was a great experience for them to try a new food for which they were not familiar. At one of the restaurants, a student was able to witness how Jewish families go through the ritual of washing their hands before eating one morsel of food.

A few Sundays ago, as a part of the course, the students and I volunteered to serve food to a homeless population at a downtown church on Michigan Avenue. One of the students was very reluctant to volunteer, but when we went to eat and debrief, she shared how it was the most amazing experience. Here are her words:

For some, the desire to serve others comes naturally. They choose to volunteer and join clubs which help other people. They go on to choose a career in social work or medicine in which they can directly help others and make a difference. For me, serving the poor has become similar to an acquired taste. Throughout the program I have been required to read books about finding your calling and your vocation. That was manageable for me, but then tying that in with how can I serve God and the poor really threw me off. It was very difficult for me to think about working with the poor and serving them because I didn't know if I would enjoy it or not. I knew it was what God wanted of me but I didn't know what I could do to serve the poor and also enjoy simultaneously. For religion I was required to work the Sunday meal at Fourth Presbyterian. Although I was apprehensive about the event I was excited because I was hoping this would be what I could do to serve and also enjoy. I ended up loving it. Many of the people were so appreciative that I took the time from my life to come serve them beverages. I loved conversing with different people and talking with them. I decided to go back the following weekend. I saw some of the same people and talked with them again, but also met new faces. The experience freed my mind of all my stresses and cares and gave me a strong feeling of joy inside. I'm scheduled to volunteer again this weekend and I recommend trying it to anyone who is unsure about how they can serve God and the poor. I believe it is important to volunteer and try different activities in order to find what you enjoy doing and a way to help others.

So I tried something new this semester, and I believe that it made an impact on the lives of the students. Not only have they heard from individuals of different faiths, but they have learned their religious practices regarding food. I am proud of my students for being willing to step out of their comfort zones and try something NEW.

Photo Caption: Kellee eating “Naan” at Uru – Swati, Healing Through Food Restaurant