Can you imagine relying on wood to cook all your meals?
I am originally from a small town in rural Virginia where the way of life for decades has been centered around a slower pace of life.
Throughout my younger years, I found that the common pastime skills for our community were knitting, hunting, cooking, farming, cutting wood, fixing cars, and/or pulling tobacco. Working with the hands was common and appreciated!
The Pull to Pressure Cook
As many of us that come from the “country life” that goes on to experience the college, big cities, corporate America, and/or global travel, the adaptation of “slow to hurry” can be exhilarating.
Escaping a small hometown was always celebrated as a way of spreading the wings!
Going from necessities such as knitting needles, axes, and livestock to live to common day needs in credit cards, cell phones, and computers shows us how much this world has changed over the last 100+ years. Agriculture makes up just over 1% of our workforce today compared to 70% in the 1800s. Looking into our future, our dependencies and labor markets are shifting quickly and metaphorizing into crypto, Web 3.0, and virtual reality.
“Our world is at our finger tips and the speed at which we can figure out any problem continues to accelerate. But is this actually a good thing?”
The Delicacy of Pinto Beans
A couple of weeks ago, as I returned to my hometown for the celebration of the life of my 91-year-old Aunt, I was reminded of the value of my roots and my desire to not let go of the sweetness of the slow life.
My Aunt knitted, farmed, and gardened, but her heart and soul were found in the kitchen. Any time she had a visitor, they would be treated to one of her infamous staple meals centered around her pinto beans along with some “greens”, country ham, and biscuits. Sometimes, even pig feet or fried chitlins were being forked onto your plate. After the meal, no one was not allowed to leave her house empty-handed. She would walk to her deep freezer and give away an entire sweet potato pie and a $20 bill.
She always had enough food and was always eager to refill your bowl, cup, and plate. She gave this same hospitality to every family member, neighbor, and stranger.
Cooking with Wood
What was magical about her cooking is the fact that she primarily used her wood-burning stove in her kitchen. This concept of cooking is a rarity in today’s kitchen.
Cooking with wood requires hours of prep, patience, and attention… getting firewood, preparing and attending to the fire, and consistently adding water to the beans to keep them from drying out.
Turning a knob, pressing a button, and walking away was not her definition of cooking.
Like many of the peers of her generation, she didn’t lean on a microwave, crockpot, air fryer, or an Instant Pot.
“Cooking food slowly isn’t just about getting the best taste and tenderness out of the food. Cooking slow is a mindset that anchors the slower approach to life”.
Lessons Found in the Beans
As we reflect on this nostalgic lifestyle, it is becoming apparent that this type of living is foreign to most, but there remains an appetite as 16M Americans left cities during the pandemic as the opportunity to work from home increased.
Many were sucked into zoom fatigue, but we all heard the stories of new hobbies and past times being revisited from farming, playing musical instruments, raising chickens, to brewing craft beers. Some of these hobbies morphed into side hustles and legitimate businesses.
As humans, we are creators and makers. Yes, technical and scientific capabilities are in front of us, but the basic human survival skills and working with our hands should be preserved. So many lessons can be found in this slow-cooking lifestyle whether or not you’re a City Slicker or a Country Bumpkin. Let’s list some of my favorites…
Be Simple! Value the taste of the simplistic.
This wasn’t chicken cordon blue, it was pinto beans! But these beans could compete with any exquisite dish from a James Beard kitchen. My Aunt also knew how to use her primary tool, the wood-burning stove. Though technology and speed changed, she didn’t…she stuck with what she knew.
Be Ready! Preparation brings freedom over the fear of the unexpected.
For anyone that has ever made pinto beans, this means that preparation is needed before the cooking even starts. To not be caught off guard by accidents, disruptions, or emergencies of life….we must take time to soak our beans. This means taking time to organize your dumpster fire of a calendar, making space for the unexpected (like a house guest), or being ready for surviving during a climatic world event.
Be Slow! Choose a life of purpose and intentionality.
Life is full of choices. Choosing the faster way is the quickest way to lose balance and perspective. Choosing the slower way brings appreciation and presence to the most important priorities in your life.
Be Hospitable! Keep the doors of your home open.
We should all strive to give to our neighbors or a random stranger. Whoever comes into your house, give what you have and show love. In 1 Timothy 6: 18-19, Paul challenges Timothy in his teaching as he encounters the rich believers. “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
The scripture above doesn’t necessarily mean rich in money.
Your wealth could be your beans and sweet potato pie. If you are rich in your time, talent, and wisdom, give it unconditionally and you will find a fulfilling life.
If you identify at all with being called country or growing out of your rural roots, don’t just let this article be a trip down memory lane. Find some of the values of your upbringing and heritage to give back to your children and others.
As I say goodbye to my loving Aunt, I challenge you to say goodbye to your Instant Pot!