Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: re: please help us figure out

[David Mandel (dlmandel]

I don't believe I'm doing this when I swore I'd go to bed by midnight, but I 
just can't help myself and it will only take a minute, because my point is 
that the system we've used successfully for 11+ years is so much simpler, 
more flexible and self-activating that I really have to make sure you 
beginners know it doesn't have to be that complicated and rigid (but hey, if 
you like it that way, by all means. ....)
1. People create their own cook teams for three-month periods. Most common 
is three people but they've ranged from one to four. All adult members are 
supposed to do it. Some teams stay together for years. Others cook around. 
But you don't get stuck working with someone you can't stand.
2. Number of people on team = number of meals owed during the three-month 
period.
3. They pick days that work for them. No set nights to conflict with 
people's regular schedules. Some weeks have more meals, others fewer, but 
people try to be conscious of that and even it out.
4. Menu is (supposed to be) posted 5+ days in advance. Cutoff for signup is 
at most 2 days in advance. Can be less if so posted. Last-minute requests 
are up to the cooks.
5. One set price for every meal: $2.50 adults, $1.25 kids up to age 16. That 
provides a guide on how much to spend. Some meals cost a bit more, others 
less. It averages out, no one sweats it and no one has to add and divide big 
numbers.
6. Leftovers are up for grabs; takers make hatch marks on a names list and 
are charged half price for an approximate "meal equivalent."
6. Pantry is kept stocked with staples bought in bulk without having to 
worry what's being used for which meal.
7. A monthly statement shows a tally of money owed for meals/spent on food 
purchases by cooks. Very occasionally if it's far out of balance will 
someone receive/write a check. Twice in 11 years for me, I think.
That's it.
David
Southside Park


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bonnie Fergusson" <fergyb2 [at] yahoo.com>
To: <cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2004 11:59 AM
Subject: [C-L]_ re: please help us figure out


> Here at Swan's Market Co-housing, where Joani Blank
> currently lives, we do the following.
>   1.  We have 3 common meals a week.  Our particular
> days are every Tuesday and Thursday and every other
> Monday and Sunday--obviously each community works out
> which days work best for them.  One family here hates
> the idea of Sunday common dinners, interferes with
> weekend plans etc. but many of us who work 9-5 Monday
> through Friday jobs appreciate the opportunity to cook
> on a weekend day when it is less difficult to fit the
> job in and the Sunday meals are usually the first
> one's signed up for on the cooking schedule.
>   2.   We have a large Calendar with colored circles
> pasted on the Common Dinner days, every 5 weeks the
> color of the circles changes to indicate a new cooking
> rotation (this would vary depending on how many people
> are in the community and on the cooking roster--in our
> case about 30 adults more or less).  Every adult is
> expected to sign up once in every rotation.  We cook
> in teams of two and the cooking team plans the meal,
> shops, cooks, sets the table, and cleans up.  It has
> occasionally been suggested that we alter this
> arrangement to provide a third to help clean up but we
> have as yet not done that.  Partly because people
> often will pitch in and help when it's needed and we
> like the unforced cooperative nature of this better.
>   3.  Our rules on meal planning are simple, a
> vegetarian entree must be provided and we try to
> accomodate peoples allergies and dietary restrictions
> (the specifics of these would obviously vary by
> community) in our case we have 9 vegetarians and a
> couple of people with milk allergies, one egg allergy,
> and one dried pea/lentil allergy and a very strong
> aversion to green peppers.  We often will offer some
> ingredients "on the side" so those who want them can
> sprinkle them in and those who are avoiding them can
> do so with ease.  Some common meals are entirely
> vegetarian and most have both a vegetarian and a meat
> based entree (it's the cooking teams choice).
>    4.  People sign up for as many or as few Common
> dinners as they like (depends on date, what else
> people are doing, and the menu which is supposed to be
> posted several days in advance so people can decide).
> However everyone must cook, whether they eat often or
> not.  Our Meal sign up book has a page with everyone's
> name printed on it for each Common Dinner Date and a
> box to check to sign up for that date and a place for
> the Cooks names, how much each spent, the menu and
> room to put down guests names (and who they are the
> guest of) and boxes to check if vegetarian meal is
> required.  The day before the meal the cooks count up
> how many have signed up and how many are vegetarian
> and Close the meal which theoreticallly means no more
> can sign up but in reality people are always begging
> their way in at the last minute (it's up to the
> cooks).  Personally I just always plan for a couple of
> last minute additions since it nearly always happens.
> We also have "late plates" where people sign up for
> the meal but do not plan to be there on time so they
> write Late next to their name and the cooking team
> dishes them out a plate of dinner and puts it, labeled
> with their name, in the fridge to be picked up later.
>   We have a person who tracks the costs and once
> every 6 months or so you get a bill or money back
> depending on how often you ate, how much you spent
> when you cooked and how many guests you invited, etc.
> The person who is tracking this divides what the cooks
> spent by the number of mouths fed and that's what is
> charged each person for that meal (guest meals are
> charged to the host family).  I think our average meal
> cost is something like $3.50 per person but it varies
> from day to day.  The number of diners at each common
> dinner varys from 12 to 30 something but is generally
> around 25.  Leftovers in the fridge are up for grabs,
> we expect people to pony up money for leftovers they
> take within the first 24hours after the meal (there is
> a box in the pantry for this and that money is used
> for cooking supplies, etc.) Anything still around
> after 24 hours is free or may be dumped by the next
> cooking team if they need the space.
>   6.  Problems:  When we have additional adults
> (renters, new roomates, etc.) we let three people sign
> up for a cooking team so there is room for everyone to
> sign up but sometimes too many people sign on as a
> third and one day is short one or more cooks.  This is
> a relatively recent problem.  At least once, one of
> the two cooks forgot to cook and others had to jump in
> at the last minute.  Some people seem to require
> reminding to sign up each rotation.  Family
> emergencies come up, a cook is ill, death in the
> family, etc. and last minute trades must occur.  So
> far we have always managed to pull it off, we are a
> cooperative bunch and care about each other.  People
> often come in the last 15-20 minutes before dinner and
> help the cooking team with whatever needs doing.
> Sometimes meals are a little late (we hang a sign on
> the common house door with expected meal time, when
> timing goes awry--not often).  Too many late plates
> can be a problem for the cooks, you have to dish them
> out before you sit down to eat otherwise people coming
> back for seconds may wipe out some favored dish and
> there won't be enough for the late plates, and finding
> enough space in the fridge to put them all can be a
> problem if there are many late plates.  It's lovely to
> have the option to have dinner waiting even when you
> will be home late though, so despite grumbling no one
> seems willing to give this feature up.
>   Common Meals are among the very best features of
> CoHousing in my humble opinion, it's here that you get
> to know your neighbors really well and meals are very
> social occasions.  Plan to have fun.
>                Love,
>                Bonnie Fergusson
>                Swan's Market Cohousing
>                Oakland, CA
>
>
>
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