Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re:Community Dinners

[Brent Rollings (am770]

Subject: Re: Community Dinners
 
 
 
Rob Sandelin from Sharingwood asked about community dinners. At
Shepherd's Gate we doa meal rotation. Each family is responsible for dinner
one night per week. We do nothave regular dinners on Wednesday and
Saturday.  We have one single person living withus who 'subs' on a
semi-regular basis.  We do have some staples purchased in common bythe
person who is in charge of the community kitchen. Otherwise the cook
provideswhatever is necessary for the meal. 
 
We have a signup board for cooking as well as for guests and people who need
meals saved or who will not be eating on a particular evening.  If my schedule
doesn't allow me tocook during a particular week, I usually can find some one
to double up. I then returnthe favor giving them a week off. (BTW I am the cook
in our family.) If no one can befound to fill in as cook then we usually 
potluck it.
Each family brings whatever theyhave hiding out in the fridge or pantry. We call
this "Stone Cassarole" :)
 
Since we are more like an extended family with 16 persons, we are all aware of
the dietary needs of the others. I am one of two vegetarians. There are also
allergies tomilk, yeast, and tomatoes in the group. Usually just a little 
planning
can make most ofthe meal available to everyone.  (i.e. Not mixing the tomato
sauce with the spagettiahead of time, not using meat based sauces on
vegetables or serving them separately.)
 
My wife and I recently added to the community in the person of 12 week old
WesleyRollings. The other people in the community made it clear that we were
exempt from mealpreparation for the first month or so. I still cooked a couple
of times, its goodtherapy, but knowing that I didn't have too made the
experience doubly enjoyable.  Many weeks the other people just doubled up on
duties. This was made more difficult by the birth of 13 week old Brendan to
another couple in the community just 5 days before our own. 
 
I think that this method would break down with more than 10 or so families, but
at our current size it works remarkably well.


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 _______________________________________________________________________
| Brent Rollings  -- am770 [at] freenet.hsc.colorado.edu                     |  
   
|  "No heart is pure that is not passionate,                            |
|     and no virtue secure that is not enthusiastic. " Baron D'Holbach  |