I know that at least 50% of you will disagree with me, but mayonnaise is evil. There is no more of a profoundly evil substance known to man, which was intended for consumption, albeit that Cod Liver Oil must be considered a very close second. Here is something else I can tell you: the vote on mayonnaise will be split much more radically between those of you who live on the west coast versus those on the east coast. Indeed, when I first ventured west I was immediately appalled at the uses that had been accepted for this foul substance. To my total amazement, it was being used on Hamburgers and (sorry easterners but I have to tell the truth) even HOT DOGS!
I’m not quite sure just what went wrong, but I think it was probably related to the Mountain Men such as “Grizzly Adams” who decided that in order to survive in their quest to move westward, they were willing to eat just about anything including: grubs, bark, the occasional skunk and, of course, mayonnaise. From there it became so pervasive and insidious in the westward culture, that children, unaware, were raised on the stuff, from birth, without ever knowing the difference. These descendants, in turn, used it in each successive generation in more incredible and inventive ways until the present day. Currently we are at a place in the evolution of this where the most recent couple of generations have been led to believe that it is a condiment, a garnish, a salad dressing and finally the point which we’ve currently reached: one of the basic food groups. There are now several western U.S. generations that live in what we now call “The Mayonnaise Cult.”
Of course, all of this is meant in fun (but please don’t try and feed me burgers or hot dogs with mayo). If we look at this model, however, we can see a tendency that man has to gradually take on attitudes, traditions and habits that become melded into a society. A quick poll with my friends in the Northeastern U.S. will easily show you how infrequently mayonnaise is used in comparison to the western states. (really) When you order a burger in the east, remember to order it “deluxe” if you really like lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, etc. Except for the fast food restaurants that serve it that way, you’ll not see much of it.
Our Christian culture should be viewed from this perspective. There are some aspects of Christianity that are lost from the early, 1st century church and there are many that have been adopted and added, which Peter and Paul could not recognize as part of the faith. Think about it, if we had to justify everything that the modern church believes to Paul or Peter, what would we say?
The Apostles taught the path to follow for living the faith as followers of Christ. Can we honestly justify adding or deleting parts of that recipe because we have developed a taste for something different? Finding the original recipe is not all that hard, since the Apostles ways and teachings are all very well recorded. Sometimes I find we’ve added a little condiment to them here or taken away a major ingredient there, while replacing it with what seems to more suit our needs, or our tastes. The final point is this: Are we all standing over the original church’s intent with a big jar of mayonnaise to try and suit our own tastes, or are we wise enough to seek and understand the original intent of the Apostles before we start adding or deleting things in favor of our own individual tastes? Just this once, let’s try and “hold the Mayo.” Blessings!

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