Re: Are meals an optional or required work expectation in your community? | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Bonnie Fergusson (fergyb2yahoo.com) | |
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2006 17:19:09 -0800 (PST) |
At Swans Market Cohousing every adult community member is expected to cook once every cooking "rotation" (about once every 5 weeks in our community of 30 adults who cook in teams of two). We have common meals three nights a week. You don't have to eat at common dinner, we sign up for when we want to eat, don't sign up when we will be out of town, have other commitments, don't like what's on the menu that night or whatever. You DO have to take a turn cooking however. So eating is optional, cooking is not. The rationale for this is that common meals are one of the most effective "community building" events that we know of. The opportunity to eat with, chat with, and just generally enjoy the company of our neighbors at frequent regular meals helps keep us connected like no other activity we've tried. Our common meals work really well and are much appreciated. This is where the intention to "live in community" really shows at Swans. It helps that the expectation that all would cook was established before move in and no one has ever suggested changing that in the years I've been here. Other aspects of our Common meals come up for discussion and revision periodically, things like how many guests it's OK to invite at any given meal, late plates, changing the meal time in summer, etc. but never the basic concept of universal cooking participation. My sense is that the issue of equal work often comes up in different ways in Cohousing and the solutions are continual works in progress. Good luck in working it out. I really recommend universal cooking participation. Bonnie Fergusson Swans Market Cohousing Oakland, CA __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
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Are meals an optional or required work expectation in your community? David Heimann, March 3 2006
- Re: Are meals an optional or required work expectation in your community? Craig Ragland, March 3 2006
- Re: Are meals an optional or required work expectation in your community? Bonnie Fergusson, March 3 2006
- Re: Are meals an optional or required work expectation in your community? Deborah Mensch, March 3 2006
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