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Applying Scruffy Hospitality to Taking Meals JANUARY 27, 2015 / ADINA BAILEY / 
I recently read a blog post challenging me to offer "scruffy hospitality". The author, Jack King, was making the point that we put too much pressure on ourselves to make a gourmet meal and have our house in perfect order before we invite friends over for dinner. Jack said... "Scruffy hospitality means you're not waiting for everything in your house to be in order before you host and serve friends in your home. Scruffy hospitality means you hunger more for good conversation and serving a simple meal of what you have, not what you don't have. Scruffy hospitality means you're more interested in quality conversation than the impression your home or lawn makes. If we only share meals with friends when we're excellent, we aren't truly sharing life together." This message is always a good reminder, and over the years I have done better with serving pizza or Chinese take out in our dining room with unswept floors. With that said, I still battle thoughts when we have friends over that my meal could be better or my house could be cleaner. Jack's post is a good reminder to keep the focus on the friendship and fellowship. We can apply this same type of thinking to the meals that we take to friends. Do you ever hesitate to sign up to take a meal because it's too much work to cook an "impressive" meal or you worry about what the family will think of your meal if you take something simple or bring carry out? Wouldn't it be freeing if we could apply the concept of "scruffy hospitality" to our meal taking? When I was going through a difficult time several years ago a friend stopped by with a rotisserie chicken one afternoon. That one item was a HUGE help. My husband was thrilled to find the chicken in the refrigerator when he came home from visiting our friends in the hospital. A simple meal can communicate care and ease your friend's burden. Let's not allow our desire to take the "perfect" meal keep us from taking a meal a meal at all. To a tired mom or a worried caregiver, some spaghetti sauce (frozen or in a jar) and uncooked pasta means everyone will have dinner - and they will know that you care about them. Read other recent articles by Adina Bailey:
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Welcome! We're thrilled you stopped by. Our own joys and sorrows have taught us that a well-timed meal delivered by a friend is one of the best gifts imaginable. In this space, we share our favorite recipes to take to friends, meal-taking tips, and other ways to care for those who are dear to you. Helpful Posts
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