Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Shared Meals

[JoAnna Allen (jowooallen]

*Hi fellow cohousers,*
This dining thread is quite interesting.  I'd like to describe our 
system at *Phoenix Commons *in Oakland CA.  We are seven years old, have 
41 units, 47 residents at this time.  Our building is 4 stories with the 
first floor all common space and garage, with a dining area that seats 
60, full kitchen.  Our developer and his wife are members and 
othearchitect and his wife just bought the last developer owned unit.
*
**In general: * We have common meals on Mondays and Wednesdays, pot luck 
on Friday.  We use our Mosaic platform to sign up to be /main cook, 
assistant, salad bar assist (optional), set up, 2 cleaners/.  Diners 
sign up and are automatically billed ($6 per full meal, $4 salad bar 
only).  Menu is chosen by the main cook and it is up to them how much 
they can provide for vegetarians, gluten or dairy free diners, 
pescatarians, etc.  Workers earn task hours.  Pot lucks are totally 
voluntary for set up and cleanup. Attendance is between 16-26, with 
special events drawing over 30.  A designated member of the dining team 
shops for the staples for the pantry (mostly COSTCO), others take on 
tasks like frig and stove cleaning.  Cooks do their own shopping and 
meal signup is closed 3 days before to allow time for shopping and 
prep.  The food is served buffet style but tables are set ahead of time 
including  vases of flowers (a specialty of a resident), pitchers of 
water, salt & pepper, napkins, cutlery (sometimes forks only).

*Covid impact: *We stopped these meals in March 2020, but then resumed 
in July by providing takeout meals in clam shells with signees picking 
up safely.  We have a courtyard over which all the units overlook.  
Outdoor heaters were purchased in 2020 so that residents could gather 
with their meals almost daily to eat outdoors, including some who picked 
up their common meals.  In 2021 we resumed indoor dining, pausing 
whenever Covid acted up, have been back to normal for months.  If no one 
signs up to cook, we skip that day but I have seen that happen only 
once.  We have also done extra weekend brunches (something prospective 
buyers could more easily attend) and if you have a guest, you simply add 
to your personal tally on Mosaic.  Pot lucks have been great fun with a 
huge variety as a chance to test recipes or just glean out your frig or 
pantry. Mosaic signup helps to balance the menu as each contribution is 
listed (or TBD) and for setting the tables.

*Attendance:
*In the earlier years attendance was high with some bringing their own 
meals to just socialize.   We have fallen into a pattern of steady 
attendance with some residents never coming to common meals (allergies 
and food preferences) or just preference for home cooked or privacy--- 
with some residents never missing a meal, particularly those who work 
full time or several who save themselves cooking.  Many who never attend 
are very active in other ways so that the common thinking that meals are 
the major way to build community has fallen by the wayside.  In fact one 
resident who never attends any meals is the one who empties the 
dishwasher and keeps tables and chairs is order in addition to the 
kitchen.   Possibly the fact we are one building with small units and a 
busy first floor keeps us running constantly into each other.  17 
committees too.

*Who Cooks? *This is totally on a "cook if you wish" basis with meals 
posted weeks in advance.  We are fortunate to be large enough to have 
many residents who love to cook with some being gourmets. (calamari 
steak recently, quail coming up).  Philip Dowd mentioned Asian stir 
fry.  I myself am Camtonese so prefer stir frying myself (try Malaysian 
mango chicken!).  Rice is frequent since we also have Vietnamese, 
Filipino, Japanese, residents.  We are California!  I once did a Korean 
rice bowl meal (bibimbap) which is fun with many rice toppings.  I agree 
with Philiip that this serves vegetarians, vegan, GF eaters well.  For 
some occasions (4th of July) the grill sits just outside the sliding 
doors to the patio and we have a resident who specializes in this.

*Finances: *We started out $5 per meal but went to $6 to cover pantry 
and new supplies (paper towels, gloves, cleaning supplies, new cutting 
board, etc.)  We are well in the black due to a habit of being under 
budget so we use dining funds at times for special events.  We ask that 
each person do a dining task 1X month but we have not monitored this 
much since we seem to always be covered due to so many who love to cook 
or even clean.  We do ask incoming residents to place a deposit but I 
personally feel this is not necessary since everyone covers their 
monthly bill, sent automatically by email.
*
**How to promote? *My husband and I no longer do every meal, simply 
because he has certain dislikes.  We also like being home (PC was 80% 
Introverts in 2017) as a couple with our own favorite simple meals.  I 
also need to use up leftovers!!!  The fact that we are large enough 
provides good enough attendance not just for meals but planned events.  
IWalso like to encourage creativity and exploration.  Some day I would 
like to see us produce a Phoenix Commons cook book interlaced with 
stories of community life, so I am always on the look out for "best" dishes.

Sincerely,
JoAnna Allen

**
On 3/15/2023 10:28 PM, Grace Kim wrote:
> Zev-
> We have a very simple meal program that includes meals every other night except for Saturdays 
> (3x week) since we moved in 7 years ago. We took a break for Covid, but transitioned to 
> 3-family “bring your own dinners” outdoors even through the winter.
> Community meals were sorely missed by all (grown ups and kids) and we brought 
> them back last summer.
>
> We attribute our success to our simple and inclusive process. Team of 3 
> cooks/cleans for each meal. Those teams are on regular rotation that lasts 
> about 4-5 months.
>
> The lead cook rotates amongst the 3 on team- and the lead plans the menu, shops and 
> pay for ingredients. The only requirement is for the meal to be delicious and 
> nutritious for all. This ensures that no one has to weigh the cost of meals vs 
> attendance. The lead cook shops within their household budget/means. There are no 
> excuses for dietary restrictions/preferences being reason ppl can’t attend.
>
> There is a lot of ease, people just show up if they are home or get a late plate if they 
> aren’t home. Or if they had rough day get a plate to take home. It’s not 
> unusual for kids to come solo if their parents are at mtgs or events after work or out of 
> town. We often have guests. No one counts how many came, no money changes hands. We figure 
> over the long haul everyone has guests and it works out in the end.
>
> A visitor from Australian cohousing who stayed with us for a week said our 
> program was brilliant! And we agree.
>
>
> grace h. kim
> schemata workshop
> (sent via mobile messaging)
> 206.795.2470
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