What could have been

 I have been pondering the exodus story.  Actually, I was thinking about the food.  When the Israelites left Egypt they were rushed out the door,  they had just cleansed their houses of all yeast so all they could make on the road was flat bread.  They didn't have much, but they had some.  

The journey they took could have been a two week journey, even with the many excursions that God had planned it might have been a month or more.  But it is less than 400 miles from Egypt to Israel.  A trip that would take us less than a day by car.  They wandered the wilderness because they lacked the courage to go home.

Back to the food.  I have no clue what manna tasted like but imagine the idea of not having to plant, gather, grind or maybe even bake?  I'm wondering what it tasted like.  Was it boring?  Or full of flavor?  They missed leeks and onions so I'm guessing it was mild in flavor.  But what if there was more to it than just taste?  What if the point was to cleanse and strengthen their bodies.  They had been slaves, undernourished and overworked.  Perhaps there was more to this manna than we think.  Perhaps it was a superfood!

I'm thinking of herbs.  Having struggled with autoimmune disease for many years, I use herbal remedies more because there were no medical solutions.  Often it is recommended to take a "course" of some herb.  That would be 30 days and then rest from that particular herb rather than to take something continually.  What if manna was intended for healing?  And what if adding meat (the quail) might have slowed or even stopped the healing?  I wonder...