Best/worst In Convent Food

[DameAgnes]

I went on retreat w/ the Sisters of Life once - they had the BEST granola I have ever tasted, hands down, and the worst, most undercooked cornbread!

Their tortellini and sausage soup was terrific.

[DiscerningSoul]

Well the food at the convent was mostly good and very fulling even when they are fasting.

But the worst for me was refried bean burrito

Grits was on the worst but now I like it.

The best for me was rice and corn.

and the day it snowed we had a treat of hot chocolate and whipped cream!

[VeniteAdoremus]

Sr. Maria makes the world's best mashed potatoes. So that's for best. Also, the coagulated milk on toast I got as a treat when all the other guests had left and I had to eat alone was heavenly. This was at St. Dominic's priory. I'm not going to mention the puddings because there are only three places left in the choir and I want Dutch girls in them so we can make a foundation back here

Worst is a tie between broccoli - I dislike broccoli to begin with (it's about the only vegetable I don't like), and part of it was [i]moldy[/i]. Other parts were still good, though, and the SSVM sisters are BIG on poverty, so we just cut out the moldy parts and cooked the good parts.

The other, at St. Dominic's again, isn't really fair because I'm sure if you are actually used to eating meat it was fine, but I've been a vegetarian for the last fifteen years and very slowly coming off it. Pork stew will never be a favourite, I'm afraid.

[puellapaschalis]

[quote name='osapientia' post='1750429' date='Jan 14 2009, 12:32 AM']Chapter 39: On the Measure of Food
Mar. 18 - July 18 - Nov. 17

We think it sufficient for the daily dinner,
whether at the sixth or the ninth hour,
that every table have two cooked dishes
on account of individual infirmities,
so that he who for some reason cannot eat of the one
may make his meal of the other
Therefore let two cooked dishes suffice for all the brethren;
and if any fruit or fresh vegetables are available,
let a third dish be added.


Let a good pound weight of bread suffice for the day,
whether there be only one meal or both dinner and supper.
If they are to have supper,
the cellarer shall reserve a third of that pound,
to be given them at supper.


But if it happens that the work was heavier,
it shall lie within the Abbot's discretion and power,
should it be expedient,
to add something to the fare.
Above all things, however,
over-indulgence must be avoided
and a monk must never be overtaken by indigestion;
for there is nothing so opposed to the Christian character
as over-indulgence
according to Our Lord's words,
"See to it that your hearts be not burdened
with over-indulgence" (Luke 21:34).


Young boys
shall not receive the same amount of food as their elders,
but less;
and frugality shall be observed in all circumstances.


Except the sick who are very weak,
let all abstain entirely
from eating the flesh of four-footed animals.

*edited for typo[/quote]


Did you miss the chapter about how much beer and wine we're supposed to drink each day?

[quote name='littlesister' post='1750557' date='Jan 14 2009, 02:37 AM']Although there was nothing wrong with the food itself, this was one of our more memorable meals: It was one of our first mornings in Paris. A nice box of corn flakes came down the table because, after all, the Americans are used to corn flakes. The cook, however, was not, nor were the other Europeans. Box in hand, we looked around for the bowls. Not one in sight. So we held our breath and gingerly poured the cereal onto our plates. (This was in silence, of course, and none of us trusted our French far enough to try explaining.) Next came the nice big pitcher of milk. Hot. Very hot. Oh well, they were really trying, and we appreciated the effort. So we very carefully startetd pouring. The only trouble was that a flat plate doesn't hold very much, so most of the cereal was world-class crunchy. After that we realized that the only flatware in sight was a knife and a teaspoon. That was the end of the good impression we were trying to make. We bravely set to work with our teaspoons, and the giggles set in as we chased the flakes around, trying not to give the table a milk bath in the process. I glanced up to see how our Spanish companion was managing. Too late. Her flakes were already drowned in her coffee, the French girl beside her had followed suit, and they were both obviously trying to figure out what to do next. One was going at it with a spoon. The other was trying to drink her coffee through it. After that meal, we gathered up our collective French and explained to our long-suffering Superior what the hilarity was about. The next time a box of Kellogg's appeared, everything was just fine.
After that, the artichokes were nothing. The meal was in recreation, and the French sisters spread themselves out to give us a demonstration. That was another show.
I loved Paris.[/quote]

Oh my. It's a good thing I have an office to myself, because I just laughed SO HARD at this

There was once a time in Refectory when the 'reading' was a recording of some reflections on the Gospel. Within about two minutes the professed were just about keeping straight faces and the novitiate were bent over their plates trying hard not to explode from the giggles. I sometimes wonder if St.B. stipulated silence at meals because he knew there'd be some prime opportunities for comic hilarity every now and then....


[quote name='VeniteAdoremus' post='1751015' date='Jan 14 2009, 12:30 PM']Sr. Maria makes the world's best mashed potatoes. So that's for best. Also, the coagulated milk on toast I got as a treat when all the other guests had left and I had to eat alone was heavenly. This was at St. Dominic's priory. I'm not going to mention the puddings because there are only three places left in the choir and I want Dutch girls in them so we can make a foundation back here [/quote]

Ahahahahahahaha!!!

[osapientia]

[quote name='puellapaschalis' post='1751016' date='Jan 14 2009, 06:40 AM']Did you miss the chapter about how much beer and wine we're supposed to drink each day? [/quote]

Oh no, I did not miss that chapter at all. In fact when I was a postulant and I first heard the word "hemmina" I joked with my Prioress that St. Benedict meant we could drink enough wine/beer as it would take for us to start saying "hemminahemminahemmina".

Fortunately for me, I had a Prioress with a sense of humor.

Oh, and I thought the posts about the corn flakes and laughing during the reading were hysterical. I've had my share of those fabulous times.....in fact those kinds of moments are favorites of ine.

Pax

[TradMom]

+Praised be Jesus Christ!

Yes, this is fun topic...nice to have a little levity in here!

Best (this is a tie!): Abbey of Regina Laudis (oh, that coagulated milk and salad!) and the Carmelite Monastery in Alhambra, CA (not the active Sacred Heart Sisters) (spinach souffle! Perfection!!!!!)

Worst: Our Lady of the Rock (Shaw Island) - we were in the guest houseand returned after a hard day of working in the garden to a dozen eggs (uncooked) and a loaf of bread! No note! (????)

I have always found it interesting that in our searches, the best and worst food came from the same community...(RL founded OLR)

The Carmelite meal was about four years ago and not only was it delicious, it was served with the greatest courtesy and love! And attention to detail....!

[He is Risen!]

Sisters of Life always have the best food, and all so very neatly labeled and laid out. The worst was Daughters of St. Paul, I visited them in Chicago and one of them made me a sandwich and I think the main ingredient was mustard. She kept telling me how some nice person donated lots of mustard, it wasn't very good mustard, but there certainly was a lot of it.

[Maria Faustina]

wow I wouldve never thought of this thread! I love it! These are some great stories

[awyers]

I loved Sister Joseph Andrew's (SMME) chicken and dumplings. Also, at thanksgiving we had both stuffing and dressing, a southern custom I guess. I never knew there was a difference and wasnt expecting both. Needless to say my fellow postulant had to help me out as I over indulged in the stuffing before the dressing even came my way! Sr. Mary Judith also made some amazing pastries for solemnities.

Mostly the food at convents has been amazing. If I had to pick a bad experience it would probably be ice cold/old grilled coagulated milk sandwhiches which were greasy yet hard at the same time, ewww! Also, the SMME have a real affinity for produce which was really abused and practically rotten as well as baked beans and beets which have always been a challenge for me.

A few funny fruit experiences involved mangos and kiwi fruits both of which a certain sister had never eaten and didnt know what to do with. I broke out in hysterics when she ate both of them like an apple, skin and all!

[Winchester]

Sister Immaculata's Heretic Surprise.

[tinytherese]

The Benedictine Sisters of Mary Queen of Ephesus had this one sandwhich with toasted break filled with these kind of :egg:s. It may have been the tastiest sandwhich that I've ever had.

[dominicansoul]

[quote name='Piobaire' post='1753841' date='Jan 17 2009, 03:07 PM']I loved Sister Joseph Andrew's (SMME) chicken and dumplings. Also, at thanksgiving we had both stuffing and dressing, a southern custom I guess. I never knew there was a difference and wasnt expecting both. Needless to say my fellow postulant had to help me out as I over indulged in the stuffing before the dressing even came my way! Sr. Mary Judith also made some amazing pastries for solemnities.

Mostly the food at convents has been amazing. If I had to pick a bad experience it would probably be ice cold/old grilled coagulated milk sandwhiches which were greasy yet hard at the same time, ewww! Also, the SMME have a real affinity for produce which was really abused and practically rotten as well as baked beans and beets which have always been a challenge for me.

A few funny fruit experiences involved mangos and kiwi fruits both of which a certain sister had never eaten and didnt know what to do with. I broke out in hysterics when she ate both of them like an apple, skin and all![/quote]
I remember in Nashville, i was eating a kiwi fruit, skin and all, and Sr. Maria Ivana grabbed it, took it onto her plate, peeled it and gave it back to me....all in silence!

And you are right, I remember at the Sisters of Mary, never eating my fruit. After a while, there was fruit collecting around my plate in the refectory. Mother A had to make an announcement right before breakfast one morning, asking the rest of the Sisters to "partake of Sr. Miriam's fruit basket..." I think I was pretty red in the face....(Sr. Miriam was my religious name...)

Edited January 17, 2009 by dominicansoul

[MithLuin]

Huh. I will peel kiwis sometimes (with my fingernail, so probably totally gross to anyone watching me), but just as often eat the skin. There's nothing wrong with it.


I spent 2 weeks at a Carmelite monastery once. I remember there being plenty of food, and no doubt it was good. The only thing I remember, however, were the omelettes - I think we had them for lunch pretty often, and they were delicious. You chopped up whatever you wanted in them yourself, and then Sr. Maria made them all for us. She was very good at it.

One of the sisters told me a story about different people who had stayed in the guest quarters there (not me). In one case, a person was given ice cream, and asked if there were sprinkles or chocolate syrup or something for it. The sister was a bit taken aback, but had to say, "um, sorry, no..." And in another case, a priest was staying for an annual retreat (I think), and they accidentally forgot about him one night! So, he just made do with whatever was there, and made up a cold meal for himself, never complaining. The point of the story was that she had a lot more respect for the priest .


Oh, and the woman who cooked the meals for the Capuchins in DC was [i]amazing[/i] - I don't think I have ever eaten so well before! But I also think she used a lot of lard, so it probably would have killed me to eat there any more often .


The most memorable meal was with the Missioners of Christ in Comayagua, Honduras. They very kindly put up my sister and I, who were visiting for Holy Week (my sister was a volunteer nurse in a different town in Honduras that year). I think I got a bug as soon as I got off the plane, but the advantage of visiting a nurse was that my sister started me on meds right away. Only problem was they were kinda gross, and upset my stomach (though I am sure they were doing a great job of curing whatever was wrong with me). So, fasting on Good Friday meant I tried to take the meds on a mostly empty stomach, despite her warnings. Dinner consisted of me whining about having to take the meds, finally taking them....and then promptly puking up all the orange-ade I'd been drinking in a trashcan. After that, I meekly ate my grilled queso sandwich and didn't talk much, but felt better . All of the food in Honduras was good, but I wasn't there long enough to get sick of it.


[This "c.h.e.e.s.e=coagulated milk" thing is very silly!]

Edited January 17, 2009 by MithLuin

[Thomist-in-Training]

Hmm, I think my favorite taste-wise was a pasta, white sauce and tuna dish we had for the Assumption last summer at the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate when it was a Friday, [i][/i]besciamella[i][/i], the only Italian dish we got out of the Italian sister. Hmm, worst? I've only been a few places, but the slightly depressing part was the Monastery I just got back from: they usually don't eat meat, but when I got there it was the Octave of Christmas, so we got it day after day, and then there was fish. The second or third day there was only che ese, I felt a little sad...! but I think I'll get used to it. Besides sometimes they do have fish, and sometimes beans, and meat on Sundays.

[johnnydigit]

i noticed that many communities are blessed with an amazing abundance of food. i've seen the lay community bring in piles of ice cream, cakes, ice cream cakes, gourmet bread, gourmet everything. for many it's more of a struggle to keep from eating too much!

a friend once said at a monastery that the soup they served was the best soup he'd ever had.

i also have never laughed at the dinner table so hard as when i was visiting a friary with 5 CFR priests and me at table.


[b]worst[/b]: authentic Polish sausage meal in Poland.

[b]best[/b]: overall food at local Benedictine monastery.

[b]fanciest[/b]: dinner with special guests at a rectory in NY.