Best/worst In Convent Food

[John Paul]

New Melleray makes excellent cookies and food.

[katherineH]

I love reading about each community's food traditions! I know the servants of the Lord make homemade pizza every friday evening.  It's a tradition that goes back to the community's earliest days in Argentina.  The community I'm discerning with has a particular love for ice cream sundays.  Every time I visit, they buy 8-9 different cartons of ice cream with an impressive array of toppings. The novices joked that they were so drained at the end of the day during postulancy that sometimes the postulant mistress just told them to have ice cream sundays for dinner

[marigold]

I love reading about each community's food traditions! I know the servants of the Lord make homemade pizza every friday evening.  It's a tradition that goes back to the community's earliest days in Argentina.  The community I'm discerning with has a particular love for ice cream sundays.  Every time I visit, they buy 8-9 different cartons of ice cream with an impressive array of toppings. The novices joked that they were so drained at the end of the day during postulancy that sometimes the postulant mistress just told them to have ice cream sundays for dinner

We had a sister visiting us from a very poor country, and her community can only afford to eat ice-cream once a year. We occasionally have ice-cream on feast days, but when we found that out, plus how much she loved it, a huge number of unexpected 'feasts' cropped up right in the last couple of weeks before she left!

[blazeingstar]

We had a sister visiting us from a very poor country, and her community can only afford to eat ice-cream once a year. We occasionally have ice-cream on feast days, but when we found that out, plus how much she loved it, a huge number of unexpected 'feasts' cropped up right in the last couple of weeks before she left!

That is adorable.

[Mags]

In my previous community my worst meal, purely down to my taste, nothing was wrong with it per se, was really cheesy macaroni cheese. There were too many good ones as the superior had spent a year as an au pair in France before entering, though one of my favourites was nut stuffed peppers, yum! 

[Nunsuch]

I have eaten at at least 60 different convents in the US and Canada, and few men's houses, as well. Most of the food is serviceable and somewhat institutional, especially in places where hundreds need to be fed. But the Religious of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Louisiana had some amazing Cajun food. 

Almost every place I have been does have a salad bar these days, which can compensate for a lot of limitations in the hot food department.

 

[sr.christinaosf]

Every five weeks we get 'chili hotdish' here, where they mix leftover chili with leftover egg noodles.  It's interesting, I must say.  

After six days on the road and at workshops, I have a renewed gratitude for regular food.  

 

[Feankie]

What in the world are nut-stuffed peppers?  Please share.  I'm trying to give up most meat and I don't eat fish and am allergic to shellfish.  That leaves poultry and protein from other sources.  The peppers sound very intriguing .

[Mags]

What in the world are nut-stuffed peppers?  Please share.  I'm trying to give up most meat and I don't eat fish and am allergic to shellfish.  That leaves poultry and protein from other sources.  The peppers sound very intriguing .

I hope the link has appeared as on my mobile all that shows is an icon.

They are the large bell peppers. The recipe is not the one my previous superior followed but from the BBC website. It looks good and seems to have good reviews. If you do try it let me know what it's like.

I don't really cook myself, I'm afraid I'm one of those for whom it has no real interest. It really would be a penance for others to suffer my cooking. I used to dread Tuesday mornings as I assisted in the kitchen and felt totally out of my depth.

[OnlySunshine]

This was always one of my favorite threads and I just got really hungry after reading it again (probably not smart when all you can eat after tonsillectomy is bland, soft food).  Anyone else have anything to add?

[Guest]

Hated lambs fry and bacon when I went in had a hard time getting it down my throat, could not get enough of it after I left - and it is now one of my favourite main meals.

[Lamb]

The community I'm discerning with has the most delicious food! They don't have meat except for poultry on Sundays and feasts, but they can make fish taste good (and usually I don't like fish). I think the worst I've had there is grilled cheese with American cheese, simply because I don't like American cheese. The best... is hard to say. There were some good fish tacos once, and a homemade Chinese food dinner with chicken on a feast day once. 

[LittleDiana]

Reading the thread, I think the story of brother Junipero that FFI Griswold was referring to was this:

"

HOW BROTHER JUNIPER ONCE COOKED FOR THE BRETHREN ENOUGH TO LAST FOR A FORTNIGHT

It happened once, when Brother Juniper was in a house of the brethren, that, for some reasonable cause all the friars were obliged to go out, and Brother Juniper alone remained at home. Then the guardian said to him: "Brother Juniper, we are all going out, therefore, by the time we come back, I wish thee to prepare a little food for the refreshment of thy brethren." "Most willingly," replied Brother Juniper; "leave it to me." When all the brethren, as has been said, were gone out, Brother Juniper said to himself: "What superfluous carefulness is this, that a brother should be lost in the kitchen, and deprived of all opportunity for prayer! Of a surety, as I am now left in this charge, I will cook enough to serve the brethren, were they as many more, for a fortnight to come." So he went to the town and borrowed some large pots for cooking; then he got fresh meat and salt, chickens, eggs, and vegetables; he begged wood also, and made a great fire, upon which he set everything together to boil: the fowls in their feathers, the eggs in their shells, and the rest in like manner. Meanwhile one of the friars, to whom Brother Juniper's simplicity was well known, returned to the house; and seeing these great cauldrons on such an enormous fire, he sat down in amazement to watch with what care and diligence Brother Juniper proceeded in his cookery. And having observed him for some time to his great recreation, this friar went out of the kitchen, and told the other brethren that Brother Juniper was certainly preparing a wedding banquet. The brethren took it for a jest; but presently Brother Juniper took his cauldrons off the fire, and bade them ring the bell for dinner. Then the brethren took their places at the table, and he came into the refectory, all rubicund with his toil and with the heat of the fire, and said to the brethren: "Eat a good dinner now, and then we will go to prayer: and let no one thing of cooking for a long time to come, for I have cooked more than enough to last us all for more than a fortnight." And so saying, he set down his hotch-potch before them; but there was never a hog in the Campagna of Rome so hungry that he could have eaten it. Brother Juniper praised his way of cooking because it was so great a saving of time; and seeing that the other friars ate none of it, he said: "These fowls are good for the head; and this food will keep the body in health, so wholesome is it."; so that the brethren were all in admiration at the devotion and simplicity of Brother Juniper. But the guardian, being angry at such folly, and grieved at the waste of so much good food, reproved Brother Juniper severely. Then Brother Juniper fell on his knees before the guardian, and humbly confessed his fault to him and all the brethren saying: "I am a very wicked man. Such a one committed such a sin, for which he was condemned to lose his eyes. Such another was hanged for his crimes. But I deserve far worse for my evil deeds. And now I have wasted so much of the gifts of God and the substance of the Order." And thus lamenting he departed; nor would he come into the presence of any one of the brethren for the rest of that day. Then said the father guardian: "My dearest brethren, I would that every day this brother might spoil as much of our substance, if we had it, as he has done to-day, were it only for the edification he has given us by the simplicity and charity with which he has done this thing."

I'm more of a dominican soul, but I REALLY do love the Little Flowers of St. Francis. Franciscan simplicity and minority are amesome. 

[HopefulHeart]

I have had some very good food at the Nashville Dominican motherhouse. I distinctly recall one afternoon during a retreat when we enjoyed some wonderful banana bread and sweetened chai tea. 

On a visit to the Daughters of St. Paul in Chicago, one of the sisters treated us retreatants to some homemade Korean food. I still remember how delicious it was!

When I went on a DSMME retreat, they apparently had lots of beets to use, so they served homemade beet rolls and beet salad (like potato salad, just with beets). I thought they were creative and tasty.

The worst would probably be when I found a small beetle in some cooked rice, but I didn't think it was that big of a deal. I just ate the rice that wasn't touching the bug and then threw the rest out without saying anything about it.

[Spem in alium]

Worst thing ever eaten in convent: tripe. It was prepared very nicely, and wasn't altogether horrible, but still something I'm not desperate to eat very soon.

Best thing: too many to mention. My sisters are good cooks and are kindly teaching me things!

[Pax17]

Tripe is one of those things (like eel) that you either love or hate.  I had Italian colleagues who loved to prepare and eat tripe.  Then there's the story of my father-in-law who was served tripe for dinner when he was hospitalized in England--he took one look at the stuff and tossed it out the window.:)

[vyvy07]

The Alton Franciscans make really amazing food! I remember a Sister from a retreat when I was ten, and one of the three details I remember about her is "she makes really good cheese pizza." I've tried a variety of meals that they've made, and it's all really good. They have a good balance of nutrition and tastiness. They have speciail desserts for their namedays and feast days, and they typically have 3 meals and two snack times a day.

The "worst" thing I've had from them is cantaloupe...because someone gave them boxes of cantaloupe in which they froze and then made into popsicles, etc. We ate six gallon-bags of cantaloupe. At one point, we were trying to eat cantaloupe for extra points so we added hot water to the popsicles...not good at all.

[Guest]

6 hours ago, Pax17 said:

Tripe is one of those things (like eel) that you either love or hate.  I had Italian colleagues who loved to prepare and eat tripe.  Then there's the story of my father-in-law who was served tripe for dinner when he was hospitalized in England--he took one look at the stuff and tossed it out the window.:)

My Mum and I liked tripe.  But we had to cook and then eat after advising the household so they could make themselves scarce.

 

[Veritas Veritas]

Many years ago I entered a big monastery in Europe. Very traditional and very poor. 

One day we received a donation of over 100  live chickens.   The postulants and novices were call to help kill then and clean them.

I had a panic attack since I have been terrified of chickens and roosters  all my life.

After begging   my  mother mistress to excuse me from participating in the butchery we settle for the following: I was going to help in the kitchen cutting the legs and comb or crest of each dead chicken.

The nuns did not let any parts to go to waste since we were very poor.

The following night we had chicken comb soup with onions. That has been until today the worst soup I have eating in my entire life.

My favorite was bread soup, and Spanish omelette.   

 

[PiccoloFuoco]

On 8/30/2018 at 2:48 AM, Veritas Veritas said:

Many years ago I entered a big monastery in Europe. Very traditional and very poor. 

One day we received a donation of over 100  live chickens.   The postulants and novices were call to help kill then and clean them.

I had a panic attack since I have been terrified of chickens and roosters  all my life.

After begging   my  mother mistress to excuse me from participating in the butchery we settle for the following: I was going to help in the kitchen cutting the legs and comb or crest of each dead chicken.

The nuns did not let any parts to go to waste since we were very poor.

The following night we had chicken comb soup with onions. That has been until today the worst soup I have eating in my entire life.

My favorite was bread soup, and Spanish omelette.   

 

It must feel horrible. It reminds me that there are no supermarkets around when I was little, so we have to clean fish and chicken by ourselves. I once decided to be a vegetarian because I simply couldn’t do the job.

Funny it seems food donations still play a big part in many old enclosed European convents even now. Luckily the monastery I was in doesn’t consume meat (and I believe our lay brothers or male volunteers would do this kind of job for us even if there is a necessity...). They are poor both by rules and in reality. There’s a family living down the mountains helps us a lot and sometimes brings in seasonal vegetables from their farm. Once they brought up a truck of fresh spinach. After boiling them all at once, I was told to put them in separated bags of equal measures and storage them in the refrigerator. They are one of our main courses for at least half a year: they will heat them up and put them straight in the food container without any seasoning, or with ketchup sometimes. Because they only have very basic seasonings so the ketchup is considered a luxury for feast days. They use it on almost everything, like, rice, cornmeal, fish, etc. During my stay, all nuns there have showed me the most ardent charity as possible as they can in silence: the cooking sister always gave me extra ketchups on my food. it’s really a mixed emotion when i find my rice is covered with a thick layer of ketchup again...too much love to swallow. Frequently we harvest veggies from a Korean sister’s green house, we eat everything from leaves to straws to roots, as while as seasonal offerings from the mountains. All are cooked with little oil and little or no salts(although there are extra salts in each room). Sometimes there are some mystical substances in the food container and soon I stop wondering what they are exactly. Three times a week we eat fish, it’s to be consumed under obedience since the Mother insisted we must get enough nutritions because “life is hard here”. There are two ways to cook fish: steamed or grilled, both with salt and sometimes fresh herbs from the garden (not always, we get lemons too). A kind of fish tastes curiously bitter after cooked. I remember our Statues especially addressed that the order has no interests on culinary art and you eat whatever you are served unless for grave reasons. I have to say that they are there for good reasons. While generally I’m fine with over-do than not well-done fish with skins still on.

I too have contributed to this food adventure: once I was asked to clean a bunch of home-grow artichokes. I have never touch them before plus language barriers, so I almost left all hard shells unpeeled. I only realized it during our common meal when I took the first bite of it myself. I looked around secretly yet no sisters including the Mother showed any emotions on their faces, they just kept eating as usual. Later I forgot to confess it in the following noviciate meeting yet no one ever talked to me about those unpeeled artichokes, but the direct result is from that day on till I end my terms, I was never asked to clean artichokes again. 

Pros: On the new year day we have fantastic Korean rice cake soup with noodles. In fact our Korean sister could cook professionally but her obedience is not cooking so we only have this kind of treats on special feasts. Also the Ukraine sister made some sort of pickles by veggies from her garden, they are also very tasty. The other good regular course is baked apple. Since we get so many of them (as the monastery actually collects its tithe by apples LOL) and when some of them turn very bad that we cannot eat them as a whole, the sister will cut out and collect good parts then bake them in the oven. We have it nearly daily. It may sounds miserable but it’s actually very good. 

The other funny fact is, although by the rule we don’t receive unrelated guests. Even if there are any, many bring in their own diets since we have little to no special storages for special guests (we increase quantity of food for male volunteers and aspirants not staying in the enclosure, also they would get food still in the preservation date). Like the account about the ancient monastery of Lindisfarne in the life of Saint Cuthbert, after prayer and necessary business, people run out before the lunch bell ring so they won’t be asked to share monks’ table (laugh).

Otherwise as I can recall, North American communities and most new or reformed communities always serve very good and well-prepared cuisines. I will say it’s hard to have “bad food” as long as one has access to the supermarket.