Fr. Seraphim and Food
Alexey Young likewise recalls: “I remember once asking Fr. Seraphim what his favorite food was, and he didn’t answer me. He didn’t even say, ‘I don’t have any’; he just changed the subject! Once, when he was coming to visit our home, someone had found out from Fr. Herman that there was, after all, something Fr. Seraphim liked. I don’t now recall what it was, but my wife fixed it for him — and I thought, ‘This will really please him.’ So a plate was put in front of him with what we believed was his favorite food, and he never paid any attention to it. He didn’t even seem to notice that the plate was in front of him. That was it.”
In later years Fr. Seraphim’s lack of concern for the taste and quality of food became the subject of jokes at the skete. Fr. Herman good-heartedly teased him about it. One day some of the younger pilgrims thought they would play a practical joke on Fr. Seraphim. For dessert they gave a scoop of vanilla ice cream to all the brothers, but to Fr. Seraphim they gave a scoop of mashed potatoes. Fr. Seraphim winked at Fr. Herman to show that he was aware of the joke, but without the slightest objection he ate the mashed potatoes. Afterwards the pilgrims felt remorse for what they had done.
-Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, ch. 73 “It’s Later Than You Think!”
Alexey Young likewise recalls: “I remember once asking Fr. Seraphim what his favorite food was, and he didn’t answer me. He didn’t even say, ‘I don’t have any’; he just changed the subject! Once, when he was coming to visit our home, someone had found out from Fr. Herman that there was, after all, something Fr. Seraphim liked. I don’t now recall what it was, but my wife fixed it for him — and I thought, ‘This will really please him.’ So a plate was put in front of him with what we believed was his favorite food, and he never paid any attention to it. He didn’t even seem to notice that the plate was in front of him. That was it.”
In later years Fr. Seraphim’s lack of concern for the taste and quality of food became the subject of jokes at the skete. Fr. Herman good-heartedly teased him about it. One day some of the younger pilgrims thought they would play a practical joke on Fr. Seraphim. For dessert they gave a scoop of vanilla ice cream to all the brothers, but to Fr. Seraphim they gave a scoop of mashed potatoes. Fr. Seraphim winked at Fr. Herman to show that he was aware of the joke, but without the slightest objection he ate the mashed potatoes. Afterwards the pilgrims felt remorse for what they had done.
-Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, ch. 73 “It’s Later Than You Think!”