Trio

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8

As a homeschooling and homesteading mother of three boys, I continue to discover the beauty of three on display daily. Sometimes, it is the power and impact of three precious souls who all agree to exercise their muscles, lungs or vocal cords at the same time! For those times, if you have been around boys, you know how much energy can be generated within a short time. Next, I may be inspired to explore ways to better use the sweat equity, like husbandry skill training, sports, exercises, or building projects. I am extra grateful for the extended space outside now that we live in the country. Sometimes, one may take a lead in starting a project, and the other two may happily join. Three on one mission can make a band, a choir, a feast, a party, a performance, an adventure, and many, many more possibilities. 

I really don’t want to miss those beautiful moments when brothers are getting along, dwelling together in unity! It’s a good and pleasant scene! When that happens, it is good for my soul to pause what I am doing if possible, to seize and take in those moments. A snapshot to catch the moment serves as a nice keepsake for future savoring. Perhaps, a satisfied smile or a word of blessing-counting will confirm to my children the good and pleasing side of brotherhood. Children, big or small, generally want to please their parents if they know they are loved.

There is no shortage of examples for groups of threes in the Bible. Don’t you just wonder about God’s plan in selecting these trio teams? The three men visited Abraham (Genesis 18:2) to bring him and Sarah a message that the old couple, in their 90s, would soon conceive a baby as God had promised! Jesus took with him Peter, James and John, three disciples, up a high mountain by themselves to see Jesus’ transfiguration (Matthew 17:1)! And these three disciples witnessed the transfiguration of the glorified Jesus, talking with Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:3). And, of course, the courageous trio, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, chose to worship the only true living God by faith, and refused to bow down to the golden image, even under the threat of being thrown into the burning fiery furnace (Daniel 3).

Believers’ lives are supposed to be the pleasing aroma of Christ offered to God the Father. Just like the pleasant aroma when brothers are in unity for a higher purpose, I am often reminded by the pleasing aromas from the trio combo in the kitchen. If you cook from scratch, eventually you may come up with your own trio. What is a trio in the culinary arts? Well, it depends on who you ask, I guess. Basically, trio are your three frequently used popular ingredients to enhance the signature flavors of the foods you prepare. Unlike the spices, they are more substantial and dominant than simply adding a twist to the taste. On the other hand, you definitely can have your favorite spice or herb trios. We are creatures of habits, which makes intentional efforts even more challenging yet rewarding. Most of us settle on a few things over time. One is a bit lonely, and two are better than one. With three, you are starting your cuisine! 

Being here in the States, my go-to answer in food prep would be “carrots, celery, and onions”, because they have pleasing flavors together and are more available with a good price weight ratio. In China, the answer would be “ginger, garlic and scallion （生姜，大蒜，小葱）”. I remember back to the days when I shopped at the urban food markets in China for fresh produce, many sellers would offer some ginger, garlic or scallions for free at the end of a deal as a thank-you gift!  Although the scallions may not be as easily accessible here in the States, I often can substitute scallions with green onions, which are just older scallions. Now that I grow Egyptian onions and chives, they also make fitting substitutes for scallions. On the other hand, if you ask someone from Louisiana, the trio could easily be “onions, celeries and green bell peppers”. 

The point is there is no standard answer, so whatever works for you is your trio. I am loving the flexibility and freedom as a home cook! All the vegetable ingredients mentioned above are excellent in giving aromatic flavors and work beautifully together! Even better, they are all very beneficial to your overall health! The trio is not to limit us but to give us a jump start in our meal prep. Once you know the principle of using available fresh local ingredients, you can adjust in various circumstances. The same food prep principle has eventually led us to move to the country, being closer to where food is coming from. 

With a trio in my mind, I save a lot of time thinking what to cook when life gets busy. Also, if another family member kindly offers to help in the kitchen, I don’t have to pause and think about what to delegate. I wish I had implemented the trio-system much earlier. I can always use more trios! If I have extra trios pre-cut, I can freeze them and use them in the future, either to make a quick stir fry or to make a stock. Personally, batch ingredient prep works much better for us than batch cooking the whole meals, which is another topic. (I will try not to digress here. :)  

Back to trio preps, if I desire an Asian boost for Chinese holidays, I may make an effort to obtain the fresh trio ingredients for the Chinese food. If I want to explore Cajun cuisine with my family for a rustic taste, I might incorporate the Cajun Holy Trinity. What if we want to have mixed flavors? By all means, mix things up and keep life interesting! Again, being a home cook, I can improvise and adjust to our needs and pleasures. My three boys have inspired me to come up with the trio concept, but my little baby girl born in my forties, is like the best butter, bringing out the excellent aromas from the trio. Gently sautéing the trio with the butter in the cast iron pan, letting them mingle, wait, and mingle more, and you will be rewarded by the smell. Your kitchen come alive by the inviting aroma. People in other rooms may start asking, “What are you making?” I mention the cast iron pan, not only because it retains heat, cooks more evenly and looks country, but it also serves as a delightful reminder of a dear friend from Ohio. She is blessed with four boys, happily homeschooling and homesteading with her precious family. I wonder what her “trio” or go-to ingredients are. Simple joy is savored one meal at a time. Each family has their own favorites. What binds believers together is our common faith in our Lord Jesus Christ! A lot of meditation happened for me over the thousands of meals I prepared, including the vision for 3rd Cultural Living. 

As a cross-cultural family, I have the privilege to ponder on the meaning of the in-between worlds quite often. Even if you spend most of your life with the same people group, you still go through transitions in life. What if you are in a limbo stage? Between jobs, houses, countries, cultures, assignments or even relationships? Do you feel a loss or confusion of identity? Change is not easy. We have been there, and are currently going through a major transition to a very different lifestyle. Perhaps, a little change of ingredients or flavors might help you gain some perspective in life, as they have helped me. A new taste may help connect your past, present and future experiences. Do some study as a family about a different people group and put yourself in their situations and try their foods. Bingo, you can take your family to all corners of the country and even the globe without purchasing an air ticket! Everyday mundane food prep can become your main course learning for the whole family. This course has a rewarding assignment at the end for a family who likes to try new foods! Praise God for the freedom of home education!

You can sort of tell whether you are an adventurous eater by testing whether you are willing to go out of your comfort zone of familiar flavors. Even more so, if you are actually having fun trying different flavors, ingredients or ways of food preparation, you could be preparing your family for a future mission trip. Even if you may never go on a mission trip, Christians, not just cultural believers, are eagerly anticipating the Day for a super-sized wedding banquet with the Lamb (Rev. 19:7)! How about prayerfully considering our earthly meals either as a prep for a missionary mindset or Heavenly banquet rehearsal? After all, there will be multitudes from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God (Matthew 8:11; Luke 13:29). 

It is not an overstatement to say food prep is a holy ground. The food industry is fully aware of the power of food control, targeting the young and old with deceiving packages and ads. As we put thoughts and prayers into the prep, we are not only working to guard and promote our family’s physical health, but also reap so much more over time! Thanks to our ESL (English as a Second Language) teaching background, we have been so blessed to share a good number of meals with our international friends. Foods connected us intimately and quickly. Many internationals were thrilled to be invited and even more flattered when we were super satisfied with their home cooked foods. Our repertoire of food combinations have been expanded, and more importantly, our understanding of different people groups have been deepened over the meals. 

After all the rambling about trios in different directions, the trios can also do miracle work vertically over time. If deciding on three new things together is too much, you might as well start with one, again, and again. Perhaps, you could try a new way of preparation with a familiar ingredient, like an avocado? The repetition is all that is needed to get our attention or to make a change. Samuel was called three times (1 Samuel 3). Daniel always prayed to God three times every day (Daniel 6:10). Not everyone is a curious eater. I get that, especially if you didn’t grow up with much exposure to other tastes. However, it is just too soon to exclude certain foods after your first unpleasant experience with it. As long as the foods are properly prepared with real food ingredients not against your conscience, they are worth a few more tries. 

Dear mothers, your labor in the kitchen is glorious and not in vain. The promise-keeping God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the same God today for you, as you continue to trust and obey our good Shepherd! Who will you invite to dine together and share the perfect King’s wedding invitation? Are you getting yourself ready for the Wedding banquet with the Lion? Yes, you read it right. Jesus is not only the sacrificial Lamb for our sins, He is also the victorious Lion who has overcome death and will come again! Know that you are not simply feeding mouths, but starving souls! 

Do not lose heart if you have multiple failed attempts in the kitchen. The “failures” are only your honor badges to faithfully fight the good fight. Perhaps, you have your list of no-way food choices, simply because you don’t like them. Don’t allow your preferences to determine what your children can actually enjoy. Even Peter denied Jesus three times. There is always hope in a new life and a new taste. Christ’s death was the ultimate sacrifice, the most pleasing aroma, to the holy God, our Father. After Jesus’s resurrection, the Lord Jesus asked Peter three times over the breakfast He prepared, “Do you love me? (John 21:15-17)” .

“Do YOU love me?” Jesus asked. 

Are you longing for a taste of Heaven? 

May the Wedding Day fuel your passion for the nations, for the lost, and for those closest to you! Our good Shepherd is right on your side as you feed your flock! He is closer than you think. 

P.S. He is way closer than “The Little Chefs” (a fun read with your children about different food cultures though. :-)