Butash - Bless this food: ancient & contemporary graces from around the world

Copyright 1993, 2007 by Adrian Butash

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, or other without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

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Text design and typography by Tona Pearce Myers

Author photograph on by Annabelle Butash

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bless this food : ancient and contemporary graces from around the world /
[compiled by] Adrian Butash. 1st New World Library ed., completely rev. and expanded.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-57731-591-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)
eBook ISBN 978-1-60868-283-6

1. Grace at meals. I. Butash, Adrian.

BL560.B55 2007

204'.33dc22

2007025986

Originally published in 1993 by Delacorte Press. Completely revised and expanded.

First New World Library edition, October 2007

First paperback printing, August 2013

ISBN 978-1-60868-214-0

Printed in Canada on 100% postconsumer-waste recycled paper

New World Library is proud to be a Gold Certified Environmentally Responsible Publisher. Publisher certification awarded by Green Press Initiative. www.greenpressinitiative.org

10987654321

To my mother and father,
who taught me how to pray

B less you all for your love and friendship: Geraldine Oberling, whose crisp mind informs every page. And blessings on my inspired agent, Amy Rennert, and estimable editorial director, Georgia Hughes. And on Letitia Anderson, Marielle Bancou-Segal, John Barnett, Art Bass, Bob Bell, James Paul Brown, Richard Buchen, Frank Butash, Dan Clemente, Michael Coady, Barbara Fagan, Vincent Fagan, Donald Filippelli, Jan Fox, George Ledes, David Baskett, Juliet Rohde-Brown, Lynn Cederquist, Joff Pollon, Raul Roth, Gunther Ruebcke, Bill Segal, Hoyt Spelman, Norman Waterman, and Helmut Weser.

Blessings upon my family: Holly, Bob, and Anastasia; Glenn, Serra, Henry, and Charlotte; and Susannah Rake and my sweet Annabelle no man ever had a better family.

O pen this book to any prayer, and you will find meaning and beauty. Food blessings provide a window to the profound spirituality that we all share and that connects us to all humankind, nature, and the infinite.

The thanks-giving food blessing is the prayer said most often in the home. This is its essential beauty. Saying a blessing before a meal can bring us closer to our brothers and sisters, parents and friends. Asking a friend to choose and recite a food blessing is a wonderful way to welcome that person into your family setting. The occasional gathering for prayer, no matter how brief, keeps the heart and mind in touch with the most fundamental of joys: belonging.

To any child who can read, this book gives the opportunity to lead the family in prayer, to participate actively in a family ritual instead of remaining a subordinate, passive member at the table. Children will also discover that food prayers provide an educational experience that stimulates the mind with many subjects: nature, history, spirituality, religion, people, and customs of other cultures throughout the world. Whether impromptu words or a formal prayer, the food blessing is a powerful medium that enriches the meaning of family and allows us to touch a higher realm of spirituality.

While prayers often derive from specific religious contexts, they may be experienced and enjoyed by all, just as religious music and fine art transcend their origins and have universal appeal. There are many nonreligious prayers that evoke spirituality by virtue of the beauty of the words and the underlying humanity that shines through.