Foot-washing as part of the Eucharist

The greatest and most surprising discovery/learning of this Holy Week reading was the fact that St John's gospel does not explicitly mention the institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper.  The last passover meal of Jesus is spoken of, but not the bread-wine part.  What is mentioned is the foot-washing act.  

This comes to me as a surprise, because the Johannine gospel was used as the cornerstone for our  teaching on the Holy Eucharist during Theology.  (But I don't remember anything else of that course!).  Nonetheless perhaps John stresses the feeding of the 5000 (the only miracle common in all the four gospels) - maybe. 

However, I'd like to think of John stressing the foot-washing as a form of the Eucharist, for the one line appearing in all the four gospels with regard to the Last supper is "Do this in my memory!" Our Christian tradition has restricted the Holy communion only to the baptised, but the foot-washing is certainly the 'catholic' (of the whole world) dimension of our faith!  

Wish we really learn better to see the deep interconnectedness of these two integral elements of the Mass and live it out more practically in our lives outside the 'hour-long Mass'.