The Culinary Historians of San Diego present “Our Daily Bread: Food in Western Christianity,” by Reverend Sharon Sheffield, at 10:30 am on Saturday, April 18th, 2020 in the Neil Morgan Auditorium of the San Diego Public Library, 330 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA, 92101. The event is free and open to the public.

Food and religion have always been intimately connected. What one eats or doesn’t eat, how food is eaten and with whom, feasting and fasting… all are or have been markers of the religious community. But what specifically has it meant when Christians ask for “our daily bread”? In this lecture, Sharon Sheffield will lead a guided tour of the high points of Western Christianity’s impact on food, with brief excursions into food customs, folklore, and fasting as an expression of faith.

Come hear how beer fasts, soul cakes, sin-eaters, and the Great Leavened/Unleavened Bread Debate are all part of how faith shaped the way some people look at food – and how they still have currency today.

10:30am – 12:00pm
Saturday, April 18th, 2020
Neil Morgan Auditorium
San Diego Public Library
330 Park Blvd
San Diego, CA, 92101

About Reverend Sharon Sheffield
The Reverend Sharon Sheffield is an associate priest and school chaplain at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and School in Downey. Sharon holds degrees in divinity, linguistics, and anthropology, with an emphasis on how myth and folktale shape society and vice versa. In her free time, Sharon enjoys music, drama, and historical reenactment to help people learn about odd bits of religious and social history.

About the Culinary Historians of San Diego
Culinary Historians of San Diego (CHSD) is a nonprofit organization that provides the public with a history of food and drink and their roles in society, both locally and worldwide. Membership in this non-profit organization supports both CHSD activities and the culinary collection of the San Diego Public Library.