working together

My job is in the kitchen. And I love working in the kitchen. The chief cook is a young woman who darts about from place to place like an over caffeinated bumble bee. She appears from nowhere by your side and asks you if you might be interested in working on this task. It is her job to select the menu, and herd four volunteers through the task of preparing meals, cakes and cookies for various gatherings, bread for breakfast and communion. She has to manage meals for those with special diets and prepare orders so that we have all the ingredients necessary to carry out her plans. And it is no small administrative task… consider that this past week I made hummus from scratch for 60 and guacamole using a recipe that began, “take 12 ripe avocados.” It is not uncommon for you to peel and chop 30 carrots for one soup. Today I made shortbread for the welcome gathering of new guests; the recipe begins with blend 750 kg of butter and 750 kg of sugar. I filled two commercial ovens with baking shortbread. The menus vary from week to week and it is not at all limited to traditional “Scottish food” (although there are turnips, parsnips and bangers [sausage] occasionally). The food is primarily vegetarian, although we have meat 2 – 3 times a week. We have soup at least once a day, all freshly made in the kitchen. The soups wildly vary, and I am convinced if it can be peeled, boiled and blended, we can make it into a soup. Fridays are my favourite/least favourite (auto spell check on a Scottish computer) days in the kitchen. It is my least favourite because we clean the entire kitchen, but it is my most favourite because we also have staff lunch when the whole of the volunteer and resident staff gather for a common meal. We share the leftovers of the week and the richness of our time together. We share stories of the week we have had and look forward to the week that is to come. It is a wonderful way to pass the time and It is a thin place.