How shall we eat?

When Felix Adler thought about ethical culture meetings, he thought:  "Mostly lecture, a little music."  The Ethical Society of Austin has an additional mode of meeting:  The Potluck.  That is, on the first Sunday of the month, members (and some repeat visitors) bring a covered dish, and those of us who don't have other commitments sit down together to eat.  Sometimes parents will stay to have their children join us, so it becomes a multigenerational feast.

ESOA meets in fairly sparse facilities. Tables and chairs have to be set up and taken down for the meal.  There is no stove, but there is a microwave.  Most dishes are, therefore, served cold.  Occasionally someone brings a crockpot.  We have had a wild assortment of table cloths.  Both the setting and the meal are simple.  It is the sense of community that develops over these meals and the delightful conversation that serves both to build the society and to deepen our understanding of the day's platform or colloquy that elevate the event beyond the place.

From the very first potluck, I noticed a concern among members to reduce the environmental impact of our meals.  One person gathered up the compostable items, others made sure that recyclables were put in the proper receptacle.  A problem arose almost immediately as we realized that the paper plates used that day were not compostable because of a plastic coating.  The plastic utensils were washed, but I can't say whether they ever showed up at another potluck.  We were producing trash!

Slowly a solution has emerged.  I have long been interested in switching from paper napkins to cloth napkins to reduce at least one reason for killing trees.  I inherited many cloth napkins from a mother who often set a color-coordinated table.  It was easy enough to offer to bring in some of those napkins for use during our monthly meal.  John and Susan Theiss brought their own plates and eating utensils to one potluck, introducing another idea.  We are now working on a plan for ESOA to have its own set of dishes, which we will wash and store between potlucks.  We have the flatware, but the dishes are still being worked out.  In the meantime, I bring all of my dinner, salad, and soup plates once a month so that we don't have to resort to paper plates.

Now a new element of community has been added as we clear the tables and do the washing up.  Not only do we share the labor of making a communal meal, we also work together to reduce the impact of that meal.  In the process, we become more mindful of our world and how we might work to protect its resources in ways both small and large.

One other element of mindful living has been added to these meals.  We have a little set of cards (reused) and holders (handmade) to list ingredients that might trigger food allergies or somehow not meet the dietary restrictions under which some members live.  Little notes about the presence of nuts, dairy, sugar, gluten, etc. can be lifesaving.  We have no desire to restrict those who bring dishes in their choice of ingredients, and our cooks do add nuts and other good things to their dishes, but thinking about what we add helps us be mindful of the needs of others. Noting the risky items also shows respect for their situation.