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Question 4. The part that bread played in former days.

In general bread was more important in the past than it is in the present. There wasn’t so much choice then. When children were small they often ate porridge and in the past they often had bread sopped in milk or tea. People working on a farm usually had home-made bread often with bacon to take to the fields and they could eat this ¨packed lunch¨ during their break.
In factories too people had their lunches from a breadbox which was brought from home. Times were less luxurious then and nobody had lunch (consisting of more than just bread) in a canteen or restaurant in the old days.

Things have changed.

Question 5. Respect for bread?

Many people thought this a weird question. It has got everything to do with the less ¨fat¨ years. In general people were much more economical in the past.
Being economical with bread has nothing to do with respect, has it? Bread was and often still is kept in breadbins to prevent it from getting stale. Sometimes farmers had a special bread cupboard. It was made of wood, had 2 small doors and holes for ventilation at the back. Nowadays many people keep their loaves in the freezer and defrost a few slices every day.

Question 6. Appreciation for bread.

Almost everyone likes eating bread. The two most important times of the day to eat some bread are breakfast and lunchtime. In the Netherlands people have dinner at about 6 p.m., sometimes with a piece of French flute or a crispy roll.

Question 7. Rituals with bread.

In the past people gave beggars and poor people who called on them some bread. After a funeral usually bread, rolls and buns are being served. Sometimes people attending a funeral come from far and often haven’t seen relatives or friends for a long time, so they then enjoy a light meal and don’t have to go home on an empty stomach.
In a protestant church Holy Communion is celebrated. The bread is being broken by the vicar and is then eaten by all churchgoers as a symbol of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice.
 In the Roman Catholic Church they have the celebration of Eucharist with a symbolic bread called the Sacred Host.
 Dutch people are familiar with the ¨Palmpaas¨. On the Sunday before Easter, Palm Sunday, children carry a stick decorated with palmbranches, oranges and sweets, with a bread hen on top.
When someone gets 50 years of age he or she is given an Abraham or Sara – in former days this was a flat plain bread doll, nowadays some sort of gingerbread is used. In my favourite hotel in Austria I am usually being welcomed with bread and salt in my room.
Sacred Hubertus bread supposedly cures diseases.
After a party bread and coffee are still being served to counteract the effects of alcohol.

Arnhem April 2002