I came across a question this week that I can’t stop thinking about.
Software engineer Cassidy Williams posed this on her blog:
“If Jesus’s body and blood were bread and wine, what are yours?”
Her answer? Lasagna and a root beer float. Her husband went with fried chicken and boba. Friends chimed in with everything from sushi and beer to fried plantains and Pepsi to Costco rotisserie chicken and a Manhattan.
What gets me about this question is that it’s not really about your favorite foods. It’s about what defines you. Williams says learning someone’s answer helps her know that person better, and I get it. There’s something revealing about which foods feel central to who you are versus which ones you just happen to like. When her husband threw her a surprise lasagna-and-root-beer-float party for her 34th birthday, she wrote, “I felt so known and loved.”
Before I was diabetic, my answer would’ve been instant: fried chicken and Pepsi. Now? I’m still figuring out what represents me in this new reality. The drink would have to be the safe answer, water, but everyone loves water. I hope I’ll find my favorite drink eventually. The food is harder to pin down when you’re navigating what you can and can’t eat anymore.
I’m genuinely curious what my answer will be once I settle into this new version of myself. And I’m more curious what yours would be, if you’re reading this. What two things define you?