Where did blessing the food come from?

[Kenngo1969]

38 minutes ago, pogi said:

That's how I pray whenever I travel to Mexico. 

Montezuma's revenge is real!  

Don't drink the water, man! (Unless it is agua purificada, for which, believe you me, I never forgot to ask in Mexico!) 

[pogi]

1 hour ago, Kenngo1969 said:

Don't drink the water, man! (Unless it is agua purificada, for which, believe you me, I never forgot to ask in Mexico!) 

"Oh, si...la agua es muy purificada", the man says while grinning as he hands you an Aquafina water bottle with a broken seal on the lid, filled with water brown enough to filter out the sun. 

I have actually never been to Mexico (I was just joking), but I do educate travelers going to Mexico (and all developing countries) on safe food/water practices abroad.  It is definitely more than just the water you have to watch out for in Mexico.  Even travelers who are super vigilant and careful with what they eat get hit with GI issues very commonly.  There are just different bugs on the food (especially raw produce) that we are not used to down there, and add to that poor sanitization with hand hygiene and lack of health department oversight with safe food handling practices, and you get the birth of Montezuma's revenge. 

I don't usually prescribe blessing the food as an effective prophylaxis, but Pepto Bismol is effective 70% of the time as a prophylaxis.  2 chewy tabs 4 times a day (with every meal and at bedtime), seems to do the trick - so long as you don't mind a black tongue and stool. 

   

Edited August 19, 2021 by pogi

[bOObOO]

15 hours ago, Rain said:

I don't mean saying "grace" over food. Or thank Heavenly Father for it.

I mean actually "blessing" it. 

I reason the issue like this:  I know the plants and animals God provided and still provides for us are good for food and meant to be eaten with thanksgiving, but maybe somebody didn't cook it right or put something bad in it before serving it to us, so just to be safe it would be good to ask God or someone with the priesthood to bless the food for us just to make sure we won't die if we eat it, and maybe it will even do our bodies some good.  We need to eat something to stay alive and for various reasons I'd like to sustain my mortal life for as long as I can.

[echelon]

I think it goes all the way back to Adam and Eve when after a few bouts of food poisonings in the mortal world, finally just pleaded with God to bless it, not knowing what is edible and having to learn from trial and error.

[Bernard Gui]

On 8/19/2021 at 10:22 AM, pogi said:

That's how I pray whenever I travel to Mexico. 

Montezuma's revenge is real!  

😬

Oy yes.  The Dreaded Gambu and Montezuma’s Revenge were our constant friends in Central America back in the day.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Bernard Gui

[Kenngo1969]

On 8/19/2021 at 9:51 AM, pogi said:

"Oh, si...la agua es muy purificada", the man says while grinning as he hands you an Aquafina water bottle with a broken seal on the lid, filled with water brown enough to filter out the sun. 

Now, no offense, but I know that particular account isn't genuine, because despite the fact that it ends in "a," "agua" takes the masculine article.  Hence, el agua. 

On 8/19/2021 at 9:51 AM, pogi said:

I have actually never been to Mexico (I was just joking), but I do educate travelers going to Mexico (and all developing countries) on safe food/water practices abroad.

Fair enough.

On 8/19/2021 at 9:51 AM, pogi said:

It is definitely more than just the water you have to watch out for in Mexico.  Even travelers who are super vigilant and careful with what they eat get hit with GI issues very commonly.

I have no doubt.  Perhaps I was simply fortunate, or I have an iron constitution, but I did not have any issues when I spent more than a month down there.

On 8/19/2021 at 9:51 AM, pogi said:

There are just different bugs on the food (especially raw produce) that we are not used to down there, and add to that poor sanitization with hand hygiene and lack of health department oversight with safe food handling practices, and you get the birth of Montezuma's revenge.

La venganza de Moctezuma, on the one hand, and GI issues, on the other, while they are related because the second includes the first, nonetheless, are distinct.  The first malady is caused by a specific waterborne parasite, while GI issues generally can stem from any number of causes.

On 8/19/2021 at 9:51 AM, pogi said:

 

I don't usually prescribe blessing the food as an effective prophylaxis, but Pepto Bismol is effective 70% of the time as a prophylaxis.  2 chewy tabs 4 times a day (with every meal and at bedtime), seems to do the trick - so long as you don't mind a black tongue and stool. 

   

Thanks for the tip.

[Calm]

53 minutes ago, Kenngo1969 said:

because despite the fact that it ends in "a," "agua" takes the masculine article.  Hence, el agua. 

If there is no word between them and only for the singular.  
 

Nitpickers rule! I had completely forgotten…this reddit thread is a standard all nitpickers can be proud of with one correction after another…yes, but…

https://www.reddit.com/r/Spanish/comments/gwjvcr/why_el_agua_and_not_la_agua/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

 

[Bernard Gui]

On 8/19/2021 at 1:43 AM, 2BizE said:

Do other Christian faiths “bless” their food?  I always remember the classic prayer Jimmy Stewart gave in the movie Shenandoah,

“Lord, we cleared this land. We plowed it, sowed it, and harvested it. We cooked the harvest. It wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t be eatin’ it if we hadn’t done it all ourselves. We worked dog-bone hard for every crumb and morsel, but we thank you just the same anyway, Lord, for the food we’re about to eat. Amen.”

 

One of my favorite movie monologues of all time. 

[Bernard Gui]

On 8/19/2021 at 11:03 AM, Kenngo1969 said:

Don't drink the water, man! (Unless it is agua purificada, for which, believe you me, I never forgot to ask in Mexico!) 

So, how do you know that the guys back in the plant aren’t just filling the bottles up with tap water?

[Bernard Gui]

On 8/19/2021 at 1:07 PM, echelon said:

I think it goes all the way back to Adam and Eve when after a few bouts of food poisonings in the mortal world, finally just pleaded with God to bless it, not knowing what is edible and having to learn from trial and error.

We visited an Aboriginal cultural center in Queensland. The guide should us many plants they use as food and how they are processed for safe consumption. One berry plant required 13 steps to detoxify the berries. I wanted to ask how many folks died figuring that out, but I thought that might be disrespectful. 

Edited August 22, 2021 by Bernard Gui

[Bernard Gui]

On 8/19/2021 at 11:51 AM, pogi said:

"Oh, si...la agua es muy purificada", the man says while grinning as he hands you an Aquafina water bottle with a broken seal on the lid, filled with water brown enough to filter out the sun. 

I have actually never been to Mexico (I was just joking), but I do educate travelers going to Mexico (and all developing countries) on safe food/water practices abroad.  It is definitely more than just the water you have to watch out for in Mexico.  Even travelers who are super vigilant and careful with what they eat get hit with GI issues very commonly.  There are just different bugs on the food (especially raw produce) that we are not used to down there, and add to that poor sanitization with hand hygiene and lack of health department oversight with safe food handling practices, and you get the birth of Montezuma's revenge. 

I don't usually prescribe blessing the food as an effective prophylaxis, but Pepto Bismol is effective 70% of the time as a prophylaxis.  2 chewy tabs 4 times a day (with every meal and at bedtime), seems to do the trick - so long as you don't mind a black tongue and stool. 

   

About 10 years ago, our daughter Bellalindissima spent two weeks in India with her husband who was there on a 3 month work assignment. They were very careful and had no problems…until she ate an apple she bought on the street the day they left. She became seriously ill on the plane. They made her get off in Belgium where she spent two weeks in intensive care. Her kidneys were failing. She almost died. They are still paying the bills. 

I’ve used the Pepto remedy, but I like Imodium better.

While serving a mission in Central America, I had many run-ins with Montezuma. Fortunately, our MP was Teddy Brewerton, a Canadian pharmacist. Some got amoebic dysentery from unwashed, unpeeled  produce, which was very serious, but there was one we have never identified. Maybe you know what it is.

We called it “the bad burps.” Severe weakness and body ache, splitting headaches, and ultra-stinky foul burps. The worst part was suffering alone because for several days no one would come into the room where you were in bed.  I brought it back with me and got it about a week after I returned, but never again after that. Any ideas?

Edited August 22, 2021 by Bernard Gui

[pogi]

3 hours ago, Kenngo1969 said:

Now, no offense, but I know that particular account isn't genuine, because despite the fact that it ends in "a," "agua" takes the masculine article.  Hence, el agua. 

Me olvide - el singular es "el agua", y el plural es "las aguas".   Ayayay!  Parece haber una crisis de gender idenity!

3 hours ago, Kenngo1969 said:

La venganza de Moctezuma, on the one hand, and GI issues, on the other, while they are related because the second includes the first, nonetheless, are distinct.  The first malady is caused by a specific waterborne parasite, while GI issues generally can stem from any number of causes.

I have never heard it used in relation specifically to a waterborne parasite.  In travel medicine, "Montezuma's revenge" is generally used to reference traveler's diarrhea in a specific region (Central America), and is not necessarily associated with a parasite.  Travelers diarrhea has different nicknames for different regions, for example there is the "Aztec two step", "Dehli Belly", "Hong Kong dog", "Pharaohs curse", etc.   In fact, parasitic causes of the dreaded condition are actually much less common.  Around 8%-90% of cases are bacterial infections, which is why an antibiotic such as Azithromycin or Cipro is the most common treatment for severe cases (if there is fever with diarrhea or blood in the stool). 

 

What is Traveler’s Diarrhea?

Quote

 

Colloquially called Montezuma’s revenge and Delhi belly, traveler’s diarrhea is an infection in the intestines caused by eating or drinking foods or beverages that are contaminated with bacteria (most commonly E.coli), viruses, or parasites. 

Symptoms include:

• Sudden onset of diarrhea
• Fever
• Painful gas
• Nausea or vomiting
• Feeling bloated, weak, with a loss of appetite

https://www.medcor.com/travel-and-travelers-diarrhea/

 

•  

Edited August 22, 2021 by pogi

[pogi]

46 minutes ago, Bernard Gui said:

About 10 years ago, our daughter Bellalindissima spent two weeks in India with her husband who was there on a 3 month work assignment. They were very careful and had no problems…until she ate an apple she bought on the street the day they left. She became seriously ill on the plane. They made her get off in Belgium where she spent two weeks in intensive care. Her kidneys were failing. She almost died. They are still paying the bills. 

I’ve used the Pepto remedy, but I like Imodium better.

While serving a mission in Central America, I had many run-ins with Montezuma. Fortunately, our MO was Teddy Brewerton, a Canadian pharmacist. Some got amoebic dysentery from unwashed, unpeeled  produce, which was very serious, but there was one we have never identified. Maybe you know what it is.

We called it “the bad burps.” Severe weakness and body ache, splitting headaches, and ultra-stinky foul burps. The worst part was suffering alone because for several days no one would come into the room where you were in bed.  I brought it back with me and got it about a week after I returned, but never again after that. Any ideas?

Oh wow!  I am sorry to hear about your daughter.  Her infection was something much more severe than the common "Dehli belly'!  

Raw produce is one of the worst culprits!  Safest is to eat things that you can peel by hand, but that is terribly limiting.    I always teach travelers that it is safest to treat their produce with a solution - 1 liter of water with 1 teaspoon of bleach, soak for 30 seconds then rinse with clean water.  

I agree that Imodium is a better treatment, that is what I recommend people pack with them for miild-moderate cases.  For short term trips, I recommend Pepto for prevention (not treatment), although it also works as a treatment.  One would not want to use Imodium for prevention as that would stop up your bowles, leading to the opposite problem.  Yikes!  Pepto won't do that.

Hmmm, stinky burps? ...my best guess would be giardiasis, but you most likely would have had diarrhea along with your other symptoms.    

Edited August 22, 2021 by pogi

[Bernard Gui]

1 hour ago, pogi said:

Raw produce is one of the worst culprits!  Safest is to eat things that you can peel by hand, but that is terribly limiting.    I always teach travelers that it is safest to treat their produce with a solution - 1 liter of water with 1 teaspoon of bleach, soak for 30 seconds then rinse with clean water.

Yes. The only green salad I ate for two years was in the mission home. Pres Brewerton’s wife washed the lettuce  with your bleach solution and then rinsed with bottled water. I wasn’t particularly a fan of salads before, but when I got home I craved them. 

Blessing the food did not save us from the various gamboos that abounded there.  

Edited August 22, 2021 by Bernard Gui

[Bernard Gui]

On 8/19/2021 at 3:40 AM, Robert F. Smith said:

The standard Jewish blessing is "Blessed art thou, O King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth"/"....who creates the fruit of the vine," etc.  The blessing is not on the food, but rather on God who provides the food and drink.

As I have often thought it should. Thanks for posting this. 

[Kenngo1969]

6 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

So, how do you know that the guys back in the plant aren’t just filling the bottles up with tap water?

Good point.  Again, perhaps I was simply fortunate or have an iron constitution.

[Stargazer]

On 8/19/2021 at 1:50 AM, Rain said:

I don't mean saying "grace" over food. Or thank Heavenly Father for it.

I mean actually "blessing" it. 

Actually, I've never heard anyone bless the food. What I hear consistently is people asking Heavenly Father to bless it. It's along the same line of an opening prayer at a church meeting, asking for the Spirit to be there, asking to bless the speakers, and so on. I've never heard anyone bless the meeting or the speakers, but almost always asking HF to bless it in some fashion. 

It probably originates from the HaMotzi blessing said by Jewish people over the breaking of bread at the sabbath meal -- and is likely connected to the sacramental blessing of the bread. See: https://www.learnreligions.com/how-to-say-the-hamotzi-blessing-2076781

 

[Bernard Gui]

12 hours ago, Kenngo1969 said:

Good point.  Again, perhaps I was simply fortunate or have an iron constitution.

Montezuma is no respecter of persons.

[Rain]

On 8/22/2021 at 5:50 AM, Stargazer said:

Actually, I've never heard anyone bless the food. What I hear consistently is people asking Heavenly Father to bless it. It's along the same line of an opening prayer at a church meeting, asking for the Spirit to be there, asking to bless the speakers, and so on. I've never heard anyone bless the meeting or the speakers, but almost always asking HF to bless it in some fashion. 

It probably originates from the HaMotzi blessing said by Jewish people over the breaking of bread at the sabbath meal -- and is likely connected to the sacramental blessing of the bread. See: https://www.learnreligions.com/how-to-say-the-hamotzi-blessing-2076781

 

I figured that people would know what I meant.

[Calm]

On 8/21/2021 at 8:03 PM, pogi said:

Raw produce is one of the worst culprits!  Safest is to eat things that you can peel by hand, but that is terribly limiting.  

Some sellers in Russia would use needles to add water to watermelon to increase their weight, thus contaminating them.  We avoided all street markets for food while in Moscow.  It was disappointing to skip the food vendors at the fairs as trying local foods is one of the best parts about traveling.

[Calm]

1 hour ago, Rain said:

Reported

You might want to edit the quote to avoid advertising for him.  

[mfbukowski]

On 8/18/2021 at 5:50 PM, Rain said:

I don't mean saying "grace" over food. Or thank Heavenly Father for it.

I mean actually "blessing" it. 

Crossing the plains with nothing but moldy bread, soggy wheat, and funky water to drink, and some jerky that smelled funny.  "Bless this "food" that it may strengthen our bodies "( and not kill us)

Lotsa fun I am sure

Catholics say "Bless  Us O Lord and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty...."

 

Edited August 27, 2021 by mfbukowski

[Stargazer]

On 8/25/2021 at 8:44 PM, Rain said:

I figured that people would know what I meant.

I figure that too, but I thought I would go all literal on you for a moment, for the fun of it. Sorry! Whenever we bless the food in my household, the words we use to invite vary from "Say the blessing..." to "Bless the food, please."

My second paragraph was the serious part of my response.

[mfbukowski]

On 8/21/2021 at 8:39 PM, Bernard Gui said:

Yes. The only green salad I ate for two years was in the mission home. Pres Brewerton’s wife washed the lettuce  with your bleach solution and then rinsed with bottled water. I wasn’t particularly a fan of salads before, but when I got home I craved them. 

Blessing the food did not save us from the various gamboos that abounded there.  

Ted Brewerton?

[Bernard Gui]

1 hour ago, mfbukowski said:

Ted Brewerton?

The one and only! Excellent President and fine human being

 

Edited August 30, 2021 by Bernard Gui