The Unlikely Connection: Steve Jobs and the Free Weekly Indian Meal.
From India to Portland: The Temple Meals that Touched Steve Jobs.
Did you know that Steve Jobs walked 7 miles every week in Portland, Oregon, to eat a wholesome free meal at a ‘Hare Rama, Hare Krishna’ or ISKCON (International Society of Krishna Consciousness) temple when he attended Reed College?
Watch him speak of it in his own words (@ 3.14 below) at the Stanford commencement address.
What's behind this practice of serving free meals at temples?
Traditional Roots of Free Meals
As shared in an earlier post, the concept of renunciation runs through the fabric of Hindu society, more so than in any other culture.
However, the wise, understanding that not everyone can renounce to seek the Self in such dramatic ways, decided on a gentler approach for the rest of society.
Householders—those with responsibilities, families, and societal duties—were entrusted with supporting monks or 'sannyasis' in their quest for enlightenment, ultimately benefiting society's spiritual growth.
In the bygone era, monks adhered to strict rules, including the practice of begging alms and seeking food (not money) during the day.
They could only stay temporarily at a place, lest they become attached to it. They had to cook what they received and eat it as their only meal of the day.
Today, when a monk or priest approaches your door in India, you're encouraged to donate foodstuffs (rice, wheat, or other grains) or some cash.
While caution is advised in case some fraudulent seekers also show up, the act of serving these wandering seekers is generally considered auspicious.
There's a belief that gods and powerful saints might visit in disguise to test your generosity (and therein hang many tales).
The tradition of serving meals in monasteries, recorded as far back as the 7th Century by the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, I Ching, continues today in various religious institutions.
Food is served daily during specific hours like lunch. Charities, organized and individual-driven, may offer food at various locations throughout cities.
In some temples, especially during festival months, volunteers set up food pots outside after the afternoon prayer, serving passersby with the meal offered to God, known as 'prasad' or 'mahaprasad,’ which loosely translates to blessing or great blessings.
If you visit a temple during the ‘Arathi’ time, or at the time of the prasad, or are invited to someone’s house for a puja, remember to partake of the prasad, or else it is considered inauspicious for both.
Every single day in a temple (and some homes), freshly cooked food is offered to God!
Large vessels in temple kitchens are used to store donated or bought vegetables and grains, ready to feed hundreds or even thousands during major festivals within 2 to 3 hours. Here’s a view of new vessels delivered to a temple kitchen as I happened by.
Enjoying a Temple Meal: Practical Tips
If you ever wish to enjoy a traditional meal in India, find the largest Hindu temple in the city, don Indian clothes (or bring a local friend to navigate clothing customs), and buy a ticket at the office counter (usually Rs. 100 or $1.20). Meals are typically served between 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Call ahead for times and clothing restrictions, which are often waived depending on the institution.
Note: Some temples may have restrictions for individuals of other faiths, so check ahead for any rules before partaking in a meal.
The meal served is always vegetarian.
In Northern India, meal times are quite casual. But at South Indian temples, where such communal meals are common, there is a meal etiquette and order that is strictly observed.
Eating in a South Indian Temple
First, you need to wait until everyone in the hall (ranging from 100-500 people on busy days) is seated and served basic food groups, as described below.
Multiple servers, in assembly fashion, begin the service, first with salt, followed in order by a sweet (right side), a salad, some type of chutney and curry on top, lemon rice on the left, and white rice in the middle. The curries and the chutneys vary based on season.
Once the basic groups are served, and the main priests are seated, someone invokes grace by invoking K., the Preserver-God’s name twice. Those seated also join the chant most often.
At times, after this chant, when the meal just begins, or towards the end of the meal, some enterprising devotees, on their initiative, begin singing songs in praise of God and reminding everyone of God’s grace.
However, I cannot always vouch for their vocal talent or that it is a welcome addition, especially if it is adding to the noise of the 500 people seated to eat or you are trying to get rid of your leg cramps when seated on the ground.
Some temples make arrangements for tables and chairs for older citizens and those who are physically incapacitated to be able to sit on the ground.
But extremely traditional temples in the South will not cater to this as tables are considered taboo for a religious meal serving! However, these rules are being modified and areas may have reserved table and chair seating for select devotees.
If you have good yoga practice and can do the cross-legged seated pose well without any add-on cushions to aid your back, you are in good stead. Carry your add-on cushion if you need to as that is acceptable.
Else pick a temple that offers tables and chairs for seating.
While most people get used to sitting on the ground from an early age, some find it harder (including kids) as they are used to modern comforts.
Once seated and grace has been said, you begin your feast, with the main foods arriving in quick succession: two types of South Indian dals (rasam, sambar), two desserts, spicy snacks, and finally, buttermilk for a cooldown effect. The lentils used vary based on the season as different months require different food groups (by ritual). The arrival of the buttermilk signals the end of the food courses.
The blandest meals come during the October-December months when pretty much most common vegetables and lentils are restricted. Instead, substitute foods are used in the main food servings creating a near-gluten-like meal. Except for the ubiquitous white rice which is an all-season favorite.
So the order of serving and consumption is:
White Rice with Dal 1 (Rasam)
White Rice with Dal 2 (Sambar)
Sweets and Spicy Snacks
White Rice with Buttermilk
If you wish to not be served during their multiple assembly runs, be prepared to extend your hand quickly over the leaf or plate, in mid-air, to signal a ‘No’ to the server.
Filtered water is served in steel glasses or paper cups.
If you are bold enough to ask for a spare paper cup, you can get buttermilk or dal 1 served in it to avoid the third serving of rice.
Bottom line: it is a huge meal, so go on a near-empty stomach for brunch and pace yourself. It is tastefully prepared with secret sauce recipes that make you feel full for the rest of the day (and wish you had their recipes).
When the meal is done, you need to wait for the main priests to rise from their seats before you can get up. The signal to watch for is when regular folks start to leave their seats.
At this point, head to the nearest wash area to use the taps for washing your hands. (Even if you have eaten with a spoon, be sure to wash your hands.) It can be slippery and sometimes messy with everyone jostling each other. The trick is to watch for the priests rising and instantly make a beeline for the taps when the others are slower, taking care to let the priests through first!
Insider tip: Carry a mineral water bottle and a wooden spoon (i. e. bring your own spoon(BYOS)) as people commonly eat with their fingers.
Even if this makes for an overly ritualistic meal, it is quite enjoyable and may aid mindful eating practices. If done too often though, it may lose its sheen, hence for most families these are reserved for special occasions in the year. On special occasions, the temples outdo themselves with the variety of foods, especially sweets, offered.
Eating Around the World
The tradition of feeding people at religious places is also alive overseas, albeit over the weekends, due to volunteer availability, and visitor convenience. There are no restrictions on who can visit these places and what they can wear.
Insider tip: Try any of the many ISKCON temples, gurdwaras, or these links.
I once ate at a Gurdwara in Amsterdam quite by accident. The tourist taxi driver hired for the day, turned out, funnily enough for Amsterdam, to be an Indian from the state of Punjab.
After the sightseeing drive, he asked us if we would be interested in eating at the local Gurdwara, where he went every Sunday.
We agreed and had a simple meal at the Sikh temple, seated on the ground, and served by volunteers.
Afterward, I helped with washing up in the kitchen, doing odd chores, and serving water to others who were still eating their meal.
The ritual of free meals also found me when I was at the Ohio State University, Columbus as an undergrad.
Every Thursday, on High Street, I would run into an ochre (or light pink) clothed American handing out flyers for a free meal at the only Hare Rama Hare Krishna temple in town. I would smile and take the flyer. But I never went. It was too far to walk, and the timings were not convenient for a weekday, and it conjured up singing and dancing events for which I was not prepared.
Whatever the reason, in all the years I was at school, I never ventured to that free meal offering.
Steve Jobs walking 7 miles each week to eat a free meal seems quite remarkable to me.
However, this changed one summer, years later, when I was working in Fort Collins.
Still unaware of the Jobs incident, I finally managed to visit an ISKCON Govinda temple in Denver, quite by accident when touring the city, and ended up having their free Sunday meal. It was delicious - a simple, vegetarian meal, cooked to near authentic taste, and very filling.
So, this is in essence how Steve Jobs got to eat a free meal every weekend - a piece of India had found its way to another part of the world, thanks to the ISKCON centers.
Perhaps, you could try one too?
If you enjoyed my story, please like, comment, and share the post! Merci beaucoup!
Thanks for directing me to your post here, Jayshree, which is of greater worthiness than any comment I may add.
While I’ve listened to Jobs’s Stanford commencement speech a number of times, it dawns on me that I was also here in Portland at the same time as him and perhaps even saw the same Hare Krishna’s who were weekly serving him. ...I have old notes on business leadership from a conversation with his CFO, Debbie Coleman, that I should share with you. (...I am also reminded of the personal embarrassment I suffered at getting dumped the night I attended a party with him and Bill Gates in Pacific Heights and idiotically forced my date to leave the party early). Be well.
Thank you for you for your informative account of the free lunchs.
Be well.