How to Prepare a "Poor man's supper"

How to Prepare a "Poor man's supper"

Where does the poor man's supper fit into the Christmas celebration? Jesus was born King of Kings—so why focus on the lowly and lacking when we should be gifting and feasting?

Jesus was born in a manger to a humble mother. He was born human, of all things, and grew up embracing simplicity and sacrifice throughout his life on earth, extending it to all Christians as he lives in heaven at God's right hand. The poor man's supper is a Christmas Eve tradition some families follow, used to symbolize Jesus' humble beginnings. In addition, the light meal provides a complement through contrast to the next day's feast.

A Little Goes a Long Way

Poor man's supper doesn't mean that the food has to be tasteless or unfulfilling. What the meal is supposed to represent is reflected in the kinds of foods prepared and how they are put together as a meal.

The meal shouldn't take much to prepare and, in fact, children might be able to help prepare it. (Teens and older children might even be able to take over the duty, with supervision, and make this tradition their own responsibility to the family.) Some families simply make grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken noodle soup. Tomato, vegetable, and bean soup are other good varieties that suit this purpose. Most importantly, however, to a traditional poor man's supper is that the meal should contain no meat since, typically, the poor could not afford meat at all. If eschewing meat isn't part of your family's Christmas Eve practices, though, feel free to use beef vegetable soup or some kind of chowder.

Besides soup, other options might include potatoes—baked, boiled, mashed, or sliced and fried—cole slaw, sauerkraut, and bread—pita, cornbread, or a long French-style loaf from which everyone tears a piece.

Thankfulness

When the meal is ready to eat, say a prayer of thanks. As your family partakes of the poor man's supper, remember all of the things you take for granted that enrich your life everyday. Use this meal as an opportunity to commune with your family and discuss the purpose of the contrast between it and the Christmas day feast.

Karissa J. Kilgore loves to write and has a passion for the Oxford comma. She has her BA in English, and hopes to teach writing one day. Karissa lives in Pennsylvania with her dog Trixie.