Cowboy Bob Sorensen
[Originally published as Thanks for the Spices]
It’s the holiday season, and many people are happy for the time off from work, feasting, slumbering, and watching sports. Some actually pause and consider the things they’re thankful for, such as food, family, friends, salvation in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:9-9, Acts 4:12, John 14:6), having a job, and other big things. I want to talk about something small that I’m thankful for: spices.
“Spices are the variety of life, Cowboy Bob!”
Uh… something like that.
Don’t tell anyone, but cinnamon is my second greatest weakness. That stuff is versatile; you can add some to coffee, donuts, and pies, make it into candy, and so on.
- Nutmeg is a frequent companion of cinnamon.
- Bay leaf adds flavor to legume soups.
- The misnamed allspice is certainly not a combination of spices, but comes from the pimenta tree, and is said to taste like a mixture of nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove.
- Ginger livens many things up as well.
Salt is not a spice, it’s a mineral, but we use it like a spice as well as a preservative. Actual spices are basically dried seeds and herbs. If salt loses its saltiness, it’s not good for much, and spices can lose their spiciness over time. There’s a passel of spices listed at this encyclopedia.
When encountering evolutionary material, it’s easy to get the impression that they believe everything evolved for a purpose, as if the puny god of evolution had a plan. Some spices have health benefits, but many have little or no nutritional value. They sure do liven up foods, though. Interesting that some foods are difficult on the palate but important for health. (On a 12th season episode of The Simpsons, Dr. Hibbard said of broccoli, “One of the deadliest plants on Earth. Why, it tries to warn you itself with its terrible taste.” Fortunately, most of us don’t rely on doctors in animated comedy shows for advice.)
Evolutionists can’t explain why spices taste so good to many people, but I think it’s obvious: our Creator cares about us and gives us many things for our benefit and even pleasure. This includes the little things like spices.
