Last week twenty folks showed up in the society kitchen. We were an eclectic group who are not otherwise bound together by regular routines. We do have this community in common, and a desire to give back. The women organizing it had done all the shopping for shepherd's pie, ziti, butternut squash soup, and chocolate chip cookies. At first the vibe was tentative. No one felt assertive enough to jump in and have opinions about just how to begin, though we had recipes to direct us. The room is large and easily accommodated the teams working on various dishes. 

 

I nestled in to the pasta club, and picked up a knife and an onion. I chopped randomly, trying to assault the pieces without completely mauling them. In a matter of minutes I was crying. 

 

"Let me help you," a woman with Italian roots offered. She lit a candle, explaining that it helps with the fumes. "I think it works better if the pieces are smaller." Which was a kind way of pointing out that my method resulted in a choking hazard.

 

"This knife is terrible!" She found a better one. Well at least my trouble wasn't exclusively because of ineptness. 

 

"Slice off the not hairy end, and then down the center. With the flat side on the bottom, cut half an inch up, then slice in four rows not quite to the end. Then cut in the third direction like this." The onion was definitely minced, not mangled, and it all happened so fast there was no time for the onion juice to leap into the air. 

 

"Be careful with that knife. It's mine," another woman said. She had bought it from a young man who recently tried to bolster his college fund by selling them.  

 

As the morning simmered away, I had conversations with people I don't always see. With the distraction of stirring, and measuring spices, it was a lovely way to connect. I heard about foods in Scandinavia, and a friend's plans to visit Paris. I mentioned that there should probably be a prize for the three siblings who all came. 

 

When I looked up, a few hours had passed and it was time to scoop family sized portions into containers. We created an effective assembly line, and added stickers that give information about baking and ingredients. I was pleased to have been part of it. With two meals in my bag I left to go deliver them to people whose lives are a little messy just now. 

 

I can't help but believe that the camaraderie that prevailed that day will do its part, in conjunction with the tomatoes, to nourish four dozen families.