The Love Language of Food

Oh, my friends! My HEART is so happy it’s the first day of February! My girl and I will be putting out our few little Valentine’s decorations today. Nothing over-the-top, just some kisses of red and pink around the house. And since this month is all about love, I’d like to share one of my favorite love languages.

I’m sure most of you are familiar with Gary Chapman’s five “Love Languages”: words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, gift-giving, and acts of service. I can most certainly identify with more than one of those languages, however, I’d like to propose another love language: FOOD!

And maybe it’s not really it’s own separate love language but rather it encompasses the other five.

When others are hurting, ill, or in some kind of crisis, I sometimes don’t know any other way to serve them than to feed them (I’ve heard this is a Southern thing. Maybe so–I am Southern, after all!). Additionally, when someone is rejoicing over a birthday, anniversary, or victory, a celebratory food gift seems appropriate there too. And when we want to spend quality time with loved ones or new friends, doing so around a table with delicious food always warms hearts towards fellowship and affirming conversation, followed by the touch of hugs and handshakes as they depart our presence.

So, yes, food falls into all five of the love language categories. However, in my humble opinion, the depth of the blessing food brings, along with the spiritual correlation to how our heavenly Father feeds us, warrants its own recognition.

Have you ever seen the Danish movie Babette’s Feast? If not, I encourage you to watch it soon (We rented it on Prime last year). It is a lovely story of a Parisian refugee name Babette who works as a cook for two single older sisters–daughters of a deceased Puritan pastor in Denmark. Babette, after winning a lottery, plans to spend her newly gained fortune on a lavish French feast for the sisters and the village elders of their dwindling church congregation. Having believed salvation comes through self-denial, the church members have always restricted their diet to the blandest, most simple foods, making Babette’s offer a serious moral dilemma and potential scandal for those invited. But Babette knows that having never fully enjoyed food as the rich, delicious blessing God intended, the sisters and elders need the gift of the feast to soften their hearts and stir up love for each other and God.

(The movie is in subtitles, but you won’t care. It’s that good!)

If one of your love languages is FOOD, I’d encourage you to share it liberally this month! Prepare a candlelit meal for your husband, treat friends to lunch out, take a plate of cookies to an elderly friend (and stay to eat the cookies with him/her!), help your children pack candy bags with Valentine notes for their friends!

They’ll feel the love. I promise.

And just to give you some ideas for a special Sweetheart meal, this week I’ll be sharing recipes from a Valentine’s lunch we hosted last year. Here’s a sneak peek below:

Happy February, everyone!

Go stir up a batch of brownies and stir up some love!