Pelan Commuity Meal

Community Meals are a traditional part of Pelan culture. Though they are most frequently seen following a temple service, they are held at a variety of times and considered a key part of Pelan Hospitality.

History

by Mehdi Bouamed

When the Pelan were still nomadic, they held religious services as a manner of travel. When a Pelan tribe settled in one area for more than a night, tribal matriarch held a meeting for all adult members in the tribe. This was both a collective worship of the goddess and a way for members of the tribe to address needs and concerns. The meeting was always accompanied by a communal meal, normally prepared the clan patriarch and other male leaders within the tribe. Traditionally the female leaders served the food, thus allowing the leaders to literally serve the tribal members during a time of communion. As the Pelan became more sedentary, the structure of their meetings changed. Rather than holding these meetings based on pattern of travel, they refurbished old structures into simple temples, where they met on a weekly basis, similar the sedentary societies that welcomed them. But the importance of food at these meetings never diminished. If anything, it grew.

As the Pelan integrated with different societies, they adopted a variety of new foods and cooking styles, combining them with existing traditions. This was considered an important part of Hospitality, as was offering meals to the broader community, whether or not they were Pelan. With regular weekly services came gatherings of men to prepare a meal the morning before, or sometimes the day before, the temple meeting. As usual, the matriarch invited all at the meeting to the meal, which the women served. Any others who wandered in were always welcome, regardless of whether or not they had attended the earlier meeting.

by Ella Olsson

Community Meals Today

We haven't lost our traditional foods because the food is not the tradition. The tradition is in the manner in which the food is prepared and consumed, and that manner is as a community. This is the meaning of Hospitality.

Today, Pelan Community Meals are found all over the world, and often bear little resemblance to the traditional meals, or even to each other. Everything from the time and day to the table settings to the type of food itself differs greatly depending on the location of the temple and the surrounding community, though the division of labor between men and women remains the same, and at nearly any community meal, you can expect to find tinemod, a traditional lemon cookie, usually frosted in multiple colors. Most Pelan agree that the community meals are the most important part of a temple service. Coming together in a relatively informal manner allows for the community to benefit from necessary social interaction and serves as a reminder that all are part of the same whole. Because it is also a form of Hospitality, many Pelan communities have additional meals apart from temple services. In particularly large cities, like Mevi, which has multiple temples, a meal can be found almost any day of the week, with some men helping to cook for multiple temples.

by Dex Ezekiel

by Edouard Ta

Meals often serve the purpose of providing for the poor and needy within a larger community. In some cases, they have been the first step for criminals and addicts to restructure their lives. In others, they have offered solace to those in mourning, and some temples are known to hold meals on important national holidays when those who have lost family members may be particularly lonely. Furthermore, because social justice has also remained an important part of Pelan culture, in some areas, such meals have become a way for oppressed groups to meet safely. For example, community meals in Linakra often serve as cover for meetings among members of Kel's Rebellion.