B is for BREAD

The choice used to be very simple. Plain or pan? We had a breadman who called once every week from Inglis bakeries in Belfast, although he lived just down the road. At some stage the name changed to Mother's Pride and apart from bread, he also carried a substantial quantity of crisps for young upstarts like me who would inquisitively appear at the side of his van when mum was getting her order together. The bread van had long wooden drawers that pulled out, a bit like normal kitchen, but about a million times longer and he had this strange long pole contraption that enabled him to drag bread from the front of the van, about another hundred yards up the road. Well it seemed that way to a six year old! And there was so much bread. Freshly baked big plain loaves with the brown crust on top and lots of pan loaves wrapped in their Mother's Pride coats. But the choice was still simple. Plain or pan? Oh yes, the breadman carried other types of bread, but we had no need to buy them for mum was a keen baker and a couple of bags of flour was all she needed to be able to produce both wheaten and soda that was to the liking of dad. Often, teatime was nothing more than a couple of plates of a variety of these breads and a pot or two of damson and strawberry jam - a feast fit for a king!

The choice is less simple now. Plain or pan? Or maybe baguette, or wholegrain, or bran, or nutty, or linseed, or crustless, or stayfresh, or thick sliced, or finger rolls, or ciabatta, or baps, or wholemeal, or bagels, or focaccia, or pita, or fruit bread, or naan bread, or cheese bread, or garlic bread. I'm not sure dad could have coped with the choice, but I guess he would still have plumped for the soda! The breadman stopped coming a long time ago. Supermarkets saw to that but it made the simple job of buying a loaf that much more complicated because of the range available. And with that, also comes the problem of keeping the bread fresh for longer for although it is still generally regarded as our staple diet food, the choice of foods is so wide that the humble loaf can often sit lonely in the corner for much of the week. We often buy a baguette at the weekend as one son could demolish most of it at a single sitting. However, if it sits until the next day, the hardness has begun to creep in and within another twenty four hours its texture has become tooth breaking. So generally the rule for us is, don't buy it unless it's going to be used on the day of purchase.

A French friend of mine has an unusual way of eating his baguette at breakfast. As we sat one morning in his kitchen, he added significant layers of butter and jam to his sliced piece, then promptly plunged it into his black coffee before scoffing it. I think we both felt slightly uneasy that his guests would not be following that old adage, 'when in Rome etc..' but it was interesting to see how others approach such matters and I'm sure he finds toast a similarly strange experience. So why do we eat bread? I suppose it's an inexpensive way to feed a family and it does provide nourishment and energy and I guess most of us would admit to eating a slice or two in some form almost every day.

When Jesus taught His followers to pray, using what we commonly call 'The Lord's Prayer', the phrase 'Give us each day our daily bread,' comes immediately after our initial recognition of who God is. This request is not about our physical needs but is asking God to feed us and sustain us with His spiritual power and just like we need physical sustenance everyday, so we need His power in our lives every day as we battle against the forces of darkness. Jesus also reminds me that while eating bread gives me physical strength, it cannot ultimately prolong my life when my body wears out but says, ' I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.'

During communion I remember that He did give his flesh for my life and I do so by sharing and eating bread as a symbol of recognition of His sacrifice for me. Bread of Life? The choice is very simple. I hope I've made it plain enough.