"Khleb i Sol!"

From FoodLinks.com: "A ritual of delightful warmth and courtesy is the traditional welcome to guests or newlyweds: "chleb ee sol." These words mean "bread and salt." Visitors are presented with a freshly baked loaf of bread and a mound of salt as they enter a home. They must cut a slice and dip it in salt before eating. The beautiful symbolism indicates that the guests are welcome to share whatever the household can offer, and expresses the hope that there will always be at least bread and salt, the necessities of life."

This Eastern European custom/greeting seems like an especially appropriate way to kick off our soffermare events. Not only does it remind us that eating is a always an exercise in hospitality, but it welcomes, appreciates, and elevates the simple elements upon which any good meal depends. We hope that all future gatherings will invoke these two basic principles: to give and partake of the best we can offer and to always appreciate the simplest, most basic elements over which we can have communion.