During a cold, stressful and rainy week in Eureka a community of friends found the need to make plans, big plans. Thanksgiving break approached; the light at the end of the tunnel increased by the day. On the most difficult day of that week, Wednesday, 8 days before Thanksgiving, these friends made a pact- that they would on the following Saturday take what hopes, disappointments, joys and sadnesses they had, pool them together and find a way to celebrate the moment they had with each other. They also saw the bridge-building effects of doing this over a bowl of clam chowder, a food loved by many and which provides a symbol of the creamy warmth we need from each other this time of year. This day was known as Clam Chowder day, to be observed at the most convinient possible time, the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
And so it came to pass. That Saturday the friends found themselves united in bonds of love for both the comforting effects of Clam Chowder and, most importantly, for the gifts of friendship they provided for each other.
Since 2002, this Holiday has been celebrated in all places around the country, and will hopefully one day be celebrated internationally. Last year friends took in the joy of clam chowder in the Holiday's home, Eureka, San Francisco, Orange County, Washington DC, Massachusetts, Ohio, Indiana, and Maine, to name a few.
So, ask yourself, is there one person in this world you appreciate enough to share clam chowder with? Are there more? Hopefully your answer to at least the first question is yes, for, if with no one else, then you should share Clam Chowder with yourself.
Clam Chowder Day is a day about taking a small amount of time from your busy schedule to experience the moment, and to experience that moment in the presence and appreciation of those we love mutually. The delicious meal is included in an effort to share something hearty, traditional, simple and, as all take from the same pot, communal in nature. It is asked that no extraordinary means are exerted in order to celebrate the day, but that special advantage of one's given situation is taken. There is little greater joy than that taken in knowing that the present situation is the best, since it is all that is had.
In the spirit of the holiday, it is crucial to add that one need not even eat clam chowder if, by some choice of lifestyle or other personal taste, she would prefer not to. Indeed, many of our friends and family have found a bond to the animal world too strong to go ignored and have, honorably, made the decision to align their lifestyles according to that bond. Those who identify themselves as vegetarians should by no means feel excluded from this Clam Chowder Day. Corn Chowder or Potato Chowder are completely acceptable sea-food free alternatives. In the end, the point of the Day is to be fed by the chowder of our shared love.
Therefore, take joy in what we have! If you have celebrated Clam Chowder day in the past, then include someone new. And if you are new to this Good Day, then do whatever you can to take the opportunity it provides.
Wishing you happiness and peace with a grateful heart for your friendship and love, and, of course, a joyful Clam Chowder Day.
And so it came to pass. That Saturday the friends found themselves united in bonds of love for both the comforting effects of Clam Chowder and, most importantly, for the gifts of friendship they provided for each other.
Since 2002, this Holiday has been celebrated in all places around the country, and will hopefully one day be celebrated internationally. Last year friends took in the joy of clam chowder in the Holiday's home, Eureka, San Francisco, Orange County, Washington DC, Massachusetts, Ohio, Indiana, and Maine, to name a few.
So, ask yourself, is there one person in this world you appreciate enough to share clam chowder with? Are there more? Hopefully your answer to at least the first question is yes, for, if with no one else, then you should share Clam Chowder with yourself.
Clam Chowder Day is a day about taking a small amount of time from your busy schedule to experience the moment, and to experience that moment in the presence and appreciation of those we love mutually. The delicious meal is included in an effort to share something hearty, traditional, simple and, as all take from the same pot, communal in nature. It is asked that no extraordinary means are exerted in order to celebrate the day, but that special advantage of one's given situation is taken. There is little greater joy than that taken in knowing that the present situation is the best, since it is all that is had.
In the spirit of the holiday, it is crucial to add that one need not even eat clam chowder if, by some choice of lifestyle or other personal taste, she would prefer not to. Indeed, many of our friends and family have found a bond to the animal world too strong to go ignored and have, honorably, made the decision to align their lifestyles according to that bond. Those who identify themselves as vegetarians should by no means feel excluded from this Clam Chowder Day. Corn Chowder or Potato Chowder are completely acceptable sea-food free alternatives. In the end, the point of the Day is to be fed by the chowder of our shared love.
Therefore, take joy in what we have! If you have celebrated Clam Chowder day in the past, then include someone new. And if you are new to this Good Day, then do whatever you can to take the opportunity it provides.
Wishing you happiness and peace with a grateful heart for your friendship and love, and, of course, a joyful Clam Chowder Day.
3 comments:
it's comforting to know that my roommates were enjoying a delicious clam chowder meal while i was on a homeless retreat where i had a bowl of soup for lunch and a scoop of rice for dinner (until they busted out the snacks, cocoa, & coffee for the adults).
i suppose i can't complain too much though, considering i don't eat fishy things anyways...
i'm so glad you include vegetarians in this holiday!
If I replace Clam Chowder with the Eucharist and switched the celebration of International Clam Chowder day to every Sunday, this blog post would be about the Catholic Mass, in many ways. Not so much in some.
Post a Comment