Stew

Because of the eating habits and challenges with my guys at work, I make a lot of stews and things with some kind of gravy or sauce to help the stuff go down easier. It got me thinking:

Seeking the presence of God is like thickening a stew.

-First you realize that there is not enough substance to that which surrounds the pieces.

-Then you add something that is reputed (by knowledgeable sources) to thicken that which surrounds the pieces.

-Then you must constantly stir in that “something” so that it is kept in suspension among all the pieces. This stirring must be done even though, in the beginning, no noticeable thickening takes place. (If the thickener is added, and you just watch expecting magic to happen, it won’t. What could have been an OK soup, has now become an ugly mess that you would rather throw out than fix)

-A moment comes when you notice a change, the stew is not thick yet, but in an instant, you notice that it has changed, it is no longer what it was. The stew is not what it was, but neither is it yet what it will be. Stirring becomes more interesting in watching the change take effect. Knowledgeable sources are validated.

-The stew becomes effectively thickened, all the pieces are held nicely in suspension. Not because of the thickener itself, and not because of the stirring itself, but by the combination of the two.

-Nevertheless, though the stew looks ready for serving, it is not, the thickener has not yet fully cooked into that which surrounds the pieces, the thickener itself must have time to cook, because while it remains uncooked and has a discernable flavor of it’s own, it isn’t ready to be served. Stirring is still required, but not as often, and not as vigorously. That which surrounds now has a tendency to hold the pieces in suspension. The apparent “doneness” of the stew at this point is not to be trusted. If it is not watched and stirred, the thickener will, with great subtly, sink out of suspension. When you come back to the pot the thickener has sedimented and stuck to the bottom of the pot, and if left long enough, and hot enough, has possibly begun to burn. Though it is frustrating when the thickener has burned to the bottom through inattendance, often this unpleasant situation can add extra and enjoyable flavor in the end result. Nevertheless, such a situation should never be entered intentionally, as sometimes the stew can be ruined beyond repair. At this point elbow grease will be required to free it up, and also more vigorous stirring once again to bring it back into suspension.

-When the stew is ready to be served, there is no trace of the flavor of the thickener. The thickener has done it’s job to cause that which surrounds the pieces to keep them in suspension and to cause that which surrounds to adhere “just right” to those pieces so that both that which surrounds and the pieces themselves, give their flavor to the stew.

Note:

Stew is not soup, you cannot see what the next (or sometimes, even the present) spoonful holds.

Stew is not shishkabob, it does not use contrivance to order the ingredients.