Alton Brown on Food and Thanksgiving

This morning I read an interview of Alton Brown in the November 2011 issue of InTouch. He has a terrific perspective of food and its purpose. To whet your appretite, here are a few quotes. To read the entire interview, click here.

"To me, cooking and faith and my relationship with God are all intertwined. I could not do what I do in food, around food, if I did not have the relationship that I have with God."

"Unfortunately, the food media, of which I’m a part, have turned chefs into rock stars. But the best chefs always remember that cooking for people is an act of service. That’s an important piece of symbolism, and you see it throughout the Bible. Many of the great miracles we see performed by Jesus are food-related—the feeding of the masses, for example. I always think about those loaves and fishes and the fact that every time I prepare a meal for people, I am, in a way, replicating that act of service."

"There’s no perfect meal, other than one that brings a lot of people together. Thanksgiving is important as an icon. Americans don’t have much in common with each other anymore. But at Thanksgiving, we see the real power of food—the connectivity that helps us draw together around these cultural “sacraments.” We need it because it unifies us."

Happy Thanksgiving!