Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Common Meal Accounting

[PattyMara (PattyMara]

In a message dated 10/12/99 5:56:35 AM !!!First Boot!!!, MartyR707 writes:

I just got home from a spectacular common house meal of Snapper Veracruz, 
Black Beans and Rice, Yams baked in molasses and rum, warm tortillas, fresh 
salsa from the garden and chocolate mousse.   >>

Wow!  I am impressed!  And hungry!  is that a normal meal there??
Thanks Patty, once again for your wealth of information!
Marty>>

Marty,
This meal was prepared by two of our finest cooks, thus, popular cooks.  Our 
normal fare is slightly less exotic, but often as interesting.   Perhaps my 
description was more poetic than the reality.  Someone else may have 
described the meal as fish, rice and beans with potatoes.  I spent TOO many 
years marketing this danged project so all of my descriptions tend to be 
sizzling.  

You will find that the cooks in your group who really love the art of cooking 
will provide scrumptious meals, because it is an expression of their art.  
The rest of you will cook perfectly acceptable meals, and not-so -popular 
meals.  Such is life. With our new core cooks organization we are attempting 
to match the "artful" cooks with others in the group who may need some help 
getting a big meal planned, shopped for, prepped and served.   I'm currently 
enticing a member to help on my team, and he has never cooked on a team in 
the year we've been here.  He'll do fine.       

I know what you mean about not really believing that you are actually living 
in your cohousing home.  Welcome to the "through the looking glass world".  
It will become more real in time.  Now, when I find myself in a particularly 
charming scenario that only living in cohousing can create, I say I am 
"having a moment".  Folks around me will stop what they are doing, look 
around and smile.  

This happened most recently when a small group of us were gathered on a 
neighbor's deck celebrating the 45th birthday of a fellow community member, 
who was 35 when they began this wild "let's build a cohousing community" 
adventure.  Her husband was opening champagne by sending the corks flying out 
into the village green, where 3 children jumped to catch each popping cork.  
It was a santa ana sunset, achingly beautiful, the air was warm, and there 
was another gathering of other community members sharing a meal across the 
green, near the common house.   I especially liked the fact that not everyone 
was there, that a small group of us could gather and celebrate a birthday 
without it having to be a requirement to invite everyone, and that other 
dinner parties organize themselves independently.  I had to stop and "have a 
moment".   

coheartedly,
patty mara