Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Dietary preferences/restrictions/aversions/allergies

[Muriel Kranowski (murielk]

Our basic rule is that the menu is totally up to the head cook. However,
most cooks try to accommodate as many people as possible: they typically
will offer a veg alternative it they want to provide a meat entree and
usually offer a gluten-free option as well. Our meals signup sheet offers
columns for meat and for veg; the GF people write that in if the cooks make
that an option when they send out their menu earlier in the week. Many
meals are veg-only, and the meat-eaters are fine with that.

We now have 5  (that I can think of) gluten-free folks which is usually
more than the number requesting a vegetarian option. Over the years some of
our vegetarians have begun to eat meat and a couple of meat-eaters have
gone the other way, so even though (as Sharon says) we cooks get to know
what every regular diner eats, they can surprise us.

We've never had a declared vegan as far as I can recall. We do have our
first dairy-avoiding resident now. A number of regular cooks like to offer
pasta-with-cheese or burritos-with-cheese, where it's not too difficult to
have a GF option but cooking dairy-free for one person might be somewhat
aggravating, so I don't know how that will go. This might be where our
basic rule will rule: it's up to the cook.

On Sun, Apr 3, 2016 at 10:23 AM, fergyb2 via Cohousing-L <
cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:

>
>      At Swans Market Cohousing in Oakland we used to have a list kept
> hanging on the fridge of people's allergies and dietary restrictions and
> circulated another explaining what does and does not have gluten in it. We
> keep certain basic ingredients (gluten free Tamari sauce, gluten free
> noodles and gluten free flour) in the pantry to make it easier for cooks to
> accommodate the 3 folk who need to be gluten free.  We are in the habit of
> keeping nightshades like tomatoes and peppers on the side for people to add
> to their salads or tacos or not, to accommodate the nightshade avoiders.
> Our rule is cooks must provide a vegetarian entree and may or may not
> provide a meat dish (their choice).  Beyond that we list the menu several
> days ahead so if there is something on it folks don't like or can't eat
> they don't sign up for that meal.  Most cooks strive to accommodate most
> people's dietary restrictions most of the time.  One thing we hadn't
> anticipated is that people's dietary needs change o
>  ver time.  As we age more people need to restrict salt or sugar or
> discover other food sensitivities so the list needs to be periodically
> updated.
>               Bonnie Fergusson
>              Swans Market Cohousing
>               Oakland, CA
>
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Apr 2, 2016, at 8:09 AM, DLS via Cohousing-L <cohousing-l [at] 
> cohousing.org>
> wrote:
>
> >
> > As Gainesville CoHousing moves closer to breaking ground (yay!) and as
> we have weekly pot-luck meals together at our meetings, we have become
> aware of the fact that we have several vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free
> members.
> >
> > How have other groups identified the dietary needs in their community so
> that common meals work? We are considering some sort of questionnaire, but
> there are SO many possible questions!
> > All ideas welcome!
> > Lynne SalzburgCommon House CommitteeGainesville CoHousing
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