The minute I walked into the gala last night, I knew I wasn't in Kansas anymore. I mean, I've been living in the Bible Belt for a year and a half now, so I'm growing accustomed to religiosity. But there I was at a gala and no one offered me a drink. No beer. No wine. With dinner we were served Country Time Lemonade. Yeah, no caffeine, either.
I was among Seventh Day Adventists, and once again I had stuff to learn. They were nice people. Referenced God and faith a lot. People behind me said "Amen" a lot. Beautiful program of music. But it took them a while to get us any food. I've been to many banquets, but this was the first time I wasn't sure if I could begin eating the salad in front of me. No one else did, so I waited. And I was right. Everyone was waiting for a blessing.
Prayers are commonplace here in North Texas. Most meetings and especially those with food service start with one. But I was hungry. I had passed up hot dogs at an earlier event, just a half hour ago and two blocks away. I joked about calling to have someone bring me one of those hot dogs! When the entrée did finally arrive, it was a modest portion of refried beans, Mexican rice and two veggie enchiladas. I'm not sure if they even had cheese. Turns out there had been chips & salsa & guacamole laid out on the other end of the room, but by the time we realized it, that was all gone.
So, yeah, Whataburger on the way home ... But, my curiosity was now piqued about these Adventists. And when I started researching them, I had to wonder how I had not known more about them before. Turns out they are the 12th largest religious group in the world and the sixth largest in the U.S.! Wow. Their values are conservative Christian, as you might imagine; but I think the most interesting thing is that they are supposedly healthier and live 4 to 10 years longer than the general population, due to (it is assumed) their dietary restrictions and their lifestyle. They also are very ethnically diverse and have missionaries throughout the world.
The dinner was served by Adventist culinary arts students. I have to wonder, do they teach them to cook meat? Actually, only the strictest Adventists avoid all meat. But supposedly all of them reject pork and shell fish. The Old Testament thing. So, they eat kosher, unless they are vegetarian, in which case that's a non-issue.
Anyway, now I know something about Adventists. And, although they are lovely people, I suspect if beer and a steak are not allowed, I won't be signing up.
I was among Seventh Day Adventists, and once again I had stuff to learn. They were nice people. Referenced God and faith a lot. People behind me said "Amen" a lot. Beautiful program of music. But it took them a while to get us any food. I've been to many banquets, but this was the first time I wasn't sure if I could begin eating the salad in front of me. No one else did, so I waited. And I was right. Everyone was waiting for a blessing.
Prayers are commonplace here in North Texas. Most meetings and especially those with food service start with one. But I was hungry. I had passed up hot dogs at an earlier event, just a half hour ago and two blocks away. I joked about calling to have someone bring me one of those hot dogs! When the entrée did finally arrive, it was a modest portion of refried beans, Mexican rice and two veggie enchiladas. I'm not sure if they even had cheese. Turns out there had been chips & salsa & guacamole laid out on the other end of the room, but by the time we realized it, that was all gone.
So, yeah, Whataburger on the way home ... But, my curiosity was now piqued about these Adventists. And when I started researching them, I had to wonder how I had not known more about them before. Turns out they are the 12th largest religious group in the world and the sixth largest in the U.S.! Wow. Their values are conservative Christian, as you might imagine; but I think the most interesting thing is that they are supposedly healthier and live 4 to 10 years longer than the general population, due to (it is assumed) their dietary restrictions and their lifestyle. They also are very ethnically diverse and have missionaries throughout the world.
The dinner was served by Adventist culinary arts students. I have to wonder, do they teach them to cook meat? Actually, only the strictest Adventists avoid all meat. But supposedly all of them reject pork and shell fish. The Old Testament thing. So, they eat kosher, unless they are vegetarian, in which case that's a non-issue.
Anyway, now I know something about Adventists. And, although they are lovely people, I suspect if beer and a steak are not allowed, I won't be signing up.