Planet Once Blog

Yesterday I volunteered at the Uni Food Co-op.  It was a two-hour stint that was an incredibly satisfying break from the academic rigor of subjects.  From sitting in lectures to chopping vegetables to back to sitting in lectures again, it was a great way to rejuvenate and contribute to a good cause at the same time.

I must admit that I was not alone in this endeavor; a fellow student in the OEP, Yassi, was my partner in the Co-op experience. Allow me to digress for a moment and comment about Yassi.  If ever I had a female counterpart; similar in interests, ideas, and temperament…but much better looking and fluent in three languages…Yassi would be it.  She is a wonderfully expressive and gifted person whom I feel very fortunate to have met.  Ok, that said, back to the food co-op.

We were greeted and mentored by Emelia, one of the food co-op coordinators.  And it was the most laid-back, easy-going, yet very effective, training I have ever received.  We are in Australia after all.

Every volunteer shift comes with a complimentary meal and 20% off of all bulk goods which I will get to in a moment.  I enjoyed a gluten-free pumpkin and tofu baked pie of sorts which was delicious.  Nearly all of the food is prepared on-site utilizing organic, non-GMO produce and goods from local farms and suppliers.  They even have fair-trade coffee from a plantation in Northern Queensland.

After a bit of customer service, we met another semester coordinator named John who was busily preparing some soups for the next day.  And the chopping began.  We chopped pumpkin, onions, yams, and garlic — all for a variety of soups that were being prepared in kettles on a simple electric dual burner unit.  It is amazing the variety of items that are prepared using very minimal gadgets.  I paid close attention, for this knowledge could come in handy if ever I had limited resources and wanted to prepare a wide variety of menu items, such as on a ship at sea, perhaps.

John was an interesting fellow and I got the distinct impression that he had cooked for vast amounts of people over the years.  Ex-military?  Restaurateur?  Co-op enthusiast?  I didn’t pry…maybe after a few more volunteer shifts I will secure more details.  John, just like everyone else in the place, mentored us and was very approachable and helpful.  Not characteristic of many supervisors, might I add.  Maybe that was the nature of a co-op, maybe the nature of an Australian, or perhaps, just John’s personality.  Whatever the reason, it was a great first day and I plan to return on a regular schedule to volunteer.

My consolation prize was 20% off of the bulk items in the back of the co-op, which, might I add, are already less expensive and of better quality than what you find in the grocery stores.  I purchased some real peanut butter which was delicious and will work nicely for pb&j sandwiches — I am a starving student now.  I plan to purchase all of my bulk items here in the future and will finally be able to reuse all my containers on a regular basis.

But my contribution couldn’t simply be the prescribed tasks of serving, cooking, dish-washing, and cleaning…oh no, I needed to make a greater commitment.  It came to me as I was scouring the equipment in the co-op.  Large buckets…check, electric burner…check, large strainer…check, refrigerator storage…check.  And it was expressed to some of the fellow co-op peeps when I discovered them splitting a jug of ale at one of the tables.  I was going to brew beer that we could serve at the co-op.

My suggestion was met with great enthusiasm and interest; and this enthusiasm created a beaming smile that I couldn’t wipe off my face for several hours after.  In my post lecture the professor either thought I was making a mockery of his talk, or he figured I was overjoyed by his subject of discussion.  Regardless, I plan to launch a small test batch in the next few weeks.  Hopefully this will lead to something great.