RE: Details on Resentment issues in mandatory cooking
From: Rob Sandelin (floriferousmsn.com)
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 02:14:16 -0600 (MDT)
I think your idea of eating circles is cool. But if you want to try making
meal work mandatory give it a try, just check in for resentment every once
and awhile. Every community has its own set of  ways it works, and I am sure
that mandatory meal work might work in some places just fine. A mandatory
meal work  community might  filter in specific  kinds of people who want
that kind of setup to keep things going. Every community is a unique
expression of the people who live there and there are no right answers that
fit every community. So experiment around with stuff, evaluate  what is
working and what needs fixing. Community is like gardening. Its not a
result, its a process that goes on forever, always  changing with the
seasons.

Rob Sandelin
Community Works!

-----Original Message-----
From: cohousing-l-admin [at] cohousing.org
[mailto:cohousing-l-admin [at] cohousing.org]On Behalf Of Racheli&John
Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2001 12:01 PM
To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
Subject: Re: [C-L]_Details on Resentment issues in mandatory cooking


** Reply to note from "Rob Sandelin" <floriferous [at] msn.com> Wed, 18 Apr 2001
11:44:19 -0700
>From Racheli

Hi Rob,
I think most (if not all) of us conceded that we
shouldn't make cooking/cleaning mandatory for
those who don't want to eat common meals.  So
the question boils down to only: Does it make sense
to ask for work participation from those who would like
to be in on the eating?

I am also ready to acknowledge that if a community has enough
happy voluntary cookers and cleaners (who are ready
to do all the cooking and cleaning), then there is absolutely no reason
to press anyone else into service. - Certainly voluntary arrangements
are preferable to mandatory ones, as long as they work!

In the case of my community (Sonora cohousing), there are
some indications that this might not work:  Since our CH isn't
ready, we tried a system in which some people volunteered
to cook for a given number of people, and those who wanted
to eat had to sign up.  The idea was that once people ate one
or more meals cooked by others, they would volunteer to
cook.  This didn't happen.
We switched to a system in which one signs up for an eating
circle, where people take turns to cook for others.  This
has been working much better.  I don't think think that
most people mind the fact that the "have" to cook or clean in
order to be fed...  IMO for most of us this *does* seem
to involve a basic notion of fairness.
I think that if someone came and told me: I really want to be
part of the eating circle, but I hate cooking etc.  Could you cook
in my place, and I'll do something else for you (eg: dig holes
for your plants - since you have a bad back), I'd be thrilled
to do it.  So, the system doesn't need to be all that
rigid, as far as I'm concerned - such arrangements could
be made, I imagine, even when our CH is done (one assumes
this *will* happen)...  This is different from the all voluntary
scheme, because a participant-in-eating needs to find her/his
replacement.

R.



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