Refrigerio and Almuerzo
Let's talk about food. In the Salvadoran Lutheran Church, feeding people is a BIG deal. Sometimes, to be honest, it sometimes seems like the refrigerio (breakfast or snack or coffee break treats) and almuerzo (lunch) are more important than the meeting or workshop or gathering itself. Leaders get big props for a really good refrigerio. Skimpy refrigerios bring on a bit of attitude. Feeding people is biblical. Feeding hungry people is super biblical and just. Globally, Lutherans are definitely foodies and promoters of historic, cultural, local cuisine (I see you out there eating your lutefisk and stollen). In El Salvador, the refrigerios are typically Salvadoran comfort foods. Salvadoran Lutheran Church gatherings are typically held in the morning. Folks have to get up really early, waaaay before breakfast time, to take buses through heavy traffic in order to arrive by 8 or 8:30 am. Lutheran Churches in El Salvador are located in communities which struggle mightily with generational...