This past Monday, I spent an entire afternoon planning and preparing Marsh Community dinner. Every Monday evening, one or several people volunteer to plan and cook a meal for about 40 people. I had agreed to cook with someone I had met the week before. Neither of us had much experience doing this; this was her first time and my second. We decided to make the meal simple: spaghetti and tomato sauce, with green beans and bread on the side. Not entirely sure of what we were doing but optimistic that the meal would go well, we set off to a nearby Star Market at 2 o’clock, intending to have dinner ready by 6.
In the next several hours, my partner and I learned many valuable lessons. The first was that gluten-free spaghetti tends to clump together and make a very sticky substance when cooked. Something about our surprise at the discovery and spilling some pasta in the sink strengthened the friendship that we had already begun to form. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
We had bought gluten-free spaghetti because the information we were given suggested to include gluten-free and vegan options in the meal. My partner and I looked over food labels, trying to figure out what foods contained. A task as seemingly simple as grocery shopping became a basic lesson in awareness for other people’s needs. It also was a learning experience in how to buy in bulk. Of course, our purchase led to some unforeseen consequences like the pasta, which leads to the next lesson.
Even well thought-out ideas don’t go exactly as planned. This may sound cliché, but there is truth to it. Considering that we wrote out an ingredients list only a few hours before dinner time, this was especially relevant to us. While shopping for food and cooking dinner, our plans underwent adjustments and changes. An idea to try baking was eventually discarded, and in light of the pasta we decided to mix in the sauce instead of keeping it separate. With this kind of flexibility, I grew to trust my partner more, and after much running back and forth dinner was made.
In the end, I had a wonderful shared experience with my partner. We overcame obstacles, delegated tasks easily, and laughed afterward about our worries leading up to dinner. If you had asked me several months ago whether I could get to know someone easily in such a short period of time, I would probably have said no. Cooking community dinner, however, showed me that we could put aside our apprehension to create something shared, for the two of us and everyone who helped or came that night. For those moments, and for all the anxiety and joy they brought, I am truly grateful.