Let’s talk about food.
These days you can whatever food you want, whenever you want it, subject to COVID-related shipping problems, of course.
Not long ago that was not the case. People has to eat produce in season and when it wasn’t, you just had to make do. Lammas is the first of 3 traditional harvest-based celebrations, celebrating the food collected (and stored) as we approach the colder half of the year. Thus, when I celebrate this event I make sure to include fruits and vegetables and other seasonal foods.
In 2021, this was a difficult time for me, I was not up to socialising so I didn’t have an event for Lammas. This year, in contrast, I was house-sitting at the time, and invited a few close friends around for a lovely shared meal. I spent the afternoon, cooking and stewing apples to make a feast for the evening. We ate pasta with tomato sauce (from tomatoes in the garden), an apple crumble (from apples that were in the garden), and made a salad, also from the garden. My friends brought dumplings, another salad and we also shared a lovely loaf of bread together. It was a delightful evening of food and animated conversation.
As for beverages, we forewent alcohol in favor of a more local traditional beverage to ease conversation. The 5 of us gathered around a tanoa (a kava bowl) to share kava and talanoa. “Talanoa is a traditional word used in Fiji and across the Pacific to reflect a process of inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue. The purpose of Talanoa is to share stories, build empathy and to make wise decisions for the collective good.” [1]
It was a wonderful time and I went to bed that evening feeling reassured in the integrity of my community of friends.
I recommend to all the experience of drinking kava and sharing conversation with others while doing so. It is a great way to unwind and make good connections with others.
Thanks for reading.
Wandering and Wondering 
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