Finally is an attitude of acceptance with gratitude. Not as an ascetic or pragmatist, but acceptance with gratitude is how I think most of us would like to characterize our attitude about food. But this attitude requires something from us - yes, there are strings attached which is why I would guess that often times though we might say we want to show our gratitude we find it so difficult to do it, to have acceptance with gratitude. All of the world's major faith traditions have gifts of gratitude built into their way and each has lessons for us. Let me briefly share what I mean.
Indigenous traditions understand that their food, as they are, is from nature, a living nature.
Consequently they have a level of intimacy and relationship with their environment that has long eluded us. I would suggest that when we reach the check out line at our grocer, we couldn't accurately say where half of our foodstuffs came from - how and where it was produced, how it was packaged, who packaged it. We are so detached from the process that most of us give it very little thought. Yet indigenous faith traditions form a tight bond between gratitude and appreciation for the environment that produces their food. There's an interdependency there that is vibrant in their faith.