From what I have seen, few communities can match churches (and equivalent places in other religions) for lasagna. That sense of support and belonging can be truly invaluable. Indeed, I think that this is where much of my parents' lasagna crew came from.


I am not a religious person in the sense of being a believer and have often been (or at any rate felt) marginalized within the religious community in which I grew up. However, I am actually going to give it another try this year for the cultural/ritual/tradition aspects (somehow deeply ingrained despite my atheism) and for the sense of community.