Faithful in the Small Things
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 2:51PM Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies (Mother Teresa)
Last night I joined the Eburn Outreach Society community dinner in Marpole (South Vancouver). I met a great crew of volunteers who worked together to make serving the meal seem almost effortless, though I know the amount of work it takes to put together a meal for a crowd week after week.
Two things particularly stood out for me. One was that almost half the guests were women, and there were even a few children at the meal. At other community meals I’ve attended downtown Vancouver, typically less than 10% of the guests are women, and I rarely meet children. I wonder how we create environments at our community meals that are welcoming enough and safe enough for everyone.
The second thing that stood out for me was the salad dressing. Dinner was spaghetti, meat sauce, salad, and bread pudding. It was all tasty and made by obviously experienced cooks. Everything was homemade, but the salad dressing particularly delighted me. It was one of the best honey mustard dressings that I have ever tasted, and it was a small detail that spoke volumes about the care this community wants to express for its neighbours.
I bet that if I had asked for the recipe, the cook would have said, “Oh, I just whisked together a few things until it tasted right.” If you're experienced in condiment cookery, salad dressing is one of the easier things you can make. If you have not made it before, try this (expecting you’ll serve about a tablespoon per person, you’ll want 3-4 cups for 50 people): whisk together 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons honey, and ½ cup vinegar. Slowly drizzle in 3 cups olive oil, whisking until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, and fresh basil, when it starts to grow in your herb garden.