My mother was a wonderful cook, perhaps chef would be an even more fitting description of her skills. She had attended world class cooking schools and I was the beneficiary of much of her education. My childhood was filled with loaves of cranberry bread, chicken oriental, all kinds of gourmet recipes and dinner that was served promptly at 6:00 p.m. each evening. Being at the table was not something we missed – it was expected – and that is where we discussed the day’s activities and bonded as a family.
Now I’m not saying that we all got along all the time, but those dinners instilled in us a sense of responsibility and reinforced the fact that my parents put great importance on the family. In fact, Janet grew up about a mile away from us and her family subscribed to the same sort of importance on mealtimes together.
One of Mom’s secret ingredients that she used as a spice was something named, “Beau Monde.” It is similar to celery salt but also includes onion salt and a few other things that give it just a little extra “pop.” Mom loved to use it in salads, on vegetables, hot dogs, even cottage cheese! It has been my favorite spice as along as I can remember.
It was made by Spice Islands, one of the premier makers of spices and our home was never without it. In fact, I never knew another family that ever used it. But that didn’t matter – we have been able to use it throughout the years and, ironically, Kroger handled it – well, until several weeks ago. Whenever we end up at Kroger, which isn’t all that often, we always buy several bottles to have on hand – just in case. Imagine our surprise during our last shopping trip when we couldn’t find it on the shelf. I asked about it and was told that Kroger no longer handles it. For shame!
I ended up going on Amazon and I was able to order it there. In fact, I was able to buy five bottles of the best spice ever invented. Even the name Beau Monde is perfect. It means “Good Earth.” And almost everything is better with Beau Monde on it. Janet and I aren’t the only ones in the family who love it. Our kids have grown up on it and you never know when somebody may ask if we have any extra that they can have. Of course we do!
If you know anything about Chicago hot dogs, they always have celery salt as well as onions, sport peppers, tomatoes, a dill pickle, a poppy seed bun, neon green relish and mustard – just no ketchup. Beau Monde makes them even better than celery salt.
Anyway, Spice Islands came up with the recipe in 1941 and today, even though I favor the original, there are several adaptations that add minimal amounts of other spices. Some folks translate the name as “Beautiful World.” Originally it was something of a spice used to enhance flavor in more complex recipes. But, as I said, we used it on almost everything. And it made everything better – good!
For years now, I have associated this spice with the unusual words that God spoke at Creation. And that brings us to our verse for tonight. Moses, the author of Genesis, recounted the creation story and at the end of the sixth day, Moses informs us, in Genesis 1:31, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.” I wonder if that’s where Spice Islands got their name…
It was creative of Spice Islands to let us know that their creation made things better. My encouragement this evening is that God created the perfect environment for mankind and we get to experience the good earth as He intended for us. My prayer is that we will honor the creation and realize that there are things we can do to enhance our experience, never forgetting that God was the original and we best stick with Him. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…