Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Shared Meals

[Kathleen Lowry (kathleenlowrylpcclmft]

Johanna, I’ve noticed that in communities that have living areas surrounding a 
central courtyard, the communities sound more connected. Thoughts? And the 
courtyard isn’t too big. Anyone? Kathleen

> On Mar 20, 2023, at 11:01 AM, JoAnna Allen via Cohousing-L <cohousing-l [at] 
> cohousing.org> wrote:
> 
> *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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