Page 9 - C.A.L.L. #28 - Spring 2007
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community, certain members seem to have rare, but they do exist). I think this is helpful
"specialties" -- so one person can prepare the to the cook(s) too -- they can look at this list
day before, or while, someone else is when they're at their wits end about what to
prepping the pitas or making the raita. This make.
allows us to have a meat dish available for
the meaty types, but not mixed into the rest 2) Check in at least weekly (briefly -- no
of the menu. When I was a mom, I also found process overload) about what people have
that mezza menus were great for my kids, been wanting/not wanting in terms of meals
who had VERY distinct food preferences (OK, or available foods. If you consider this a
let's just say here that there were times when bonding element in your community, make
one of my kids would eat only four foods at sure that you give it some weekly attention.
ALL -- Cheese (any kind), Broccoli, Bread (any
kind), and fish). I didn't eat meat at that time 3) Have some discussions about how and why
at all, so his diet was not exactly in sync with you value group meals in your community.
mine, but a meal of steamed broccoli, cheese We discovered, after eating together
sauce on the side, pita bread, a big salad, and "haphazardly" for a year or so, that we all
a little broiled fish for the little meat-head really valued gathering together for food in a
served us all just fine. certain way, so we made a conscious
commitment to share meals at least 4 times a
week. This meant that the important part
was to gather together for the meal -- not
necessarily the eating part -- and allowed
people with different blood-sugar needs to
snack beforehand if they needed to -- or to
simply gather, whether we ate right then or
not (right now, there is a delicious quiche
sitting in the kitchen, plus oven-blasted
potatoes -- which I can smell – vividly -- but
because this is not a "gathering" night, I will
sit here and type my email until I'm ready to
eat. On a "gathering" night, I would stop
One of the challenges for me with "eating in what I'm doing, and go to gather with the
community" has been that, as I've become community, whether I'm hungry or not.)
more attuned to my body over the years, I've
found that there are certain times that my 4) Consider evaluating your agreed-upon
body seems to "switch on" or "switch off" to "eating times". Depending on what your
certain foods or seasonings. We eat pretty individual community-member time-
clean here – all organic, as much of our own commitments are, you may want to choose to
food and local as we can get it. eat at different times than the "normal"
status-quo breakfast/lunch/dinner times.
A thing that I love about the weekly meal After a long while of eating in the evenings at
check-in -- I can tell the cook that my stomach a "normal" supper time (5 - 7 pm), we all
is feeling a bit delicate about spices this found that we preferred to eat our main meal
week, or tell him that I've been craving of the day much earlier (usually 3 to 4:30 pm).
something really spicy. We outline a general Since we are all "self-employed", we now
idea about what we want (veggie, light, soup, usually share our group meals at about this
heavy, more meat, less meat, more potatoes, time, rather than waiting for the evening. My
less potatoes, etc.). This gives him some digestion likes this better, and that's the
creative room, but a general direction. report I hear from my community members
as well. One of the reasons that I live in
Here are some suggestions that I might offer intentional community is that I want to live
for "cooking for a crowd": as much as possible in "organic time". There
are still days that my belly wants a different
1) If you make a meal that's a universal "hit" time-line, but this schedule fits much better
with everyone in the community, Make a for me, as a rule.
note -- WRITE IT DOWN! We have a few
menus that everyone here loves (they are All the best, Carol
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