Women's Lunch Place

Today was a long, busy, but really fun day. We worked at the Women's Lunch Place. I first worked downstairs with Whitney serving breakfast and hot drinks to the guests. Then we moved upstairs to help prep food for lunch. We chopped up a ton of vegetables, sauteed, stirred, used the food processor, grated, strained, etc. I had a lot of fun working with the food and I learned so much! Johann's friend, Josh, is the main chef at the Women's Lunch Place and he taught us how to do things and told us what to do. He's awesome. We finished making our lunch, which consisted of tilapia, quinoa, slaw and yogurt sauce, and pasta.

We served lunch to the women and took our own plates and sat and talked with the women. I had a nice time talking with the women, and learned a lot from them. I was really shocked how a lot of these women had gone to college and were now poor and homeless. That was a surprise. I had always associated a college degree with a job and a home and a successful life. One of the women had also served in the army and went to college, and now she is jobless and homeless. The women were very well-read and intelligent. I had some stimulating conversations with them.

After lunch, we cleaned up and then watched two online videos about America's food problems. Then Josh, the chef, answered questions that we asked, and talked to us. I learned a lot from Josh, and I'm glad I got to meet him and work with him. He's an awesome guy. Today we go to the Women's Lunch Place at 7:10am and left around 3:30pm. Long day, but it went by quickly because I was having fun and learning lots. I am really enjoying the Alternative break so far. Our group is really fun and interesting! I can't wait for the rest of what's planned for this week!

--Zoe