Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Meal Tracking Programs

[Diana Carroll (dianaecarroll]

On Thu, Apr 3, 2014 at 2:47 PM, Ann Zabaldo <zabaldo [at] earthlink.net> wrote:

> People w/ erratic schedules are omitted from many things at TVC not the
> least of which is dinner.  I don't know how we would address people's
> individual diets if there are many diverse dietary needs.   I know some
> communities do that routinely.  I admire them for taking that on.


Well my point wasn't that communities can or should attempt to accommodate
all dietary restrictions.  It was that our system, which is rife with the
confusion and overhead you note ("can't we just eat together?"), also has
the advantage that it allows people with schedule or dietary difficulties
to *sometimes* participate.

I've seen many cooks go above and beyond the call of duty (IMO) to address
the extraordinary number of diet difficulties present in our community.  In
my view, that's appreciated, but not expected or required.

But it's lovely that when a meal *happens* to meet a particular person's
requirements, that that person has the option of signing up.  The
nearly-paperwork-free setup you guys have wouldn't allow that.  It doesn't
mean your setup is bad...but it does mean there's a tradeoff for your
simplicity that, so far, our community hasn't been willing to make.

Diana