conscious eating
Even skeptics have come away from events feeling like they got the best-case scenario: nice people, homey environment, with good food and conversation.
~Jared Gold, co-founder of MealTribes
Breaking Bread, Building Community by April Thompson
THE 21ST CENTURY POTLUCK FOR
cording to consumer research consultants at the Hartman Group. Yet, fellowship- minded foodies are bucking the trend by fi nding new and unique ways to bring strangers, colleagues and friends together for healthy, home-cooked meals. Meal sharing not only builds com-
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munity and camaraderie; it can also save time and money and minimize food waste. Eating with others can also encourage mindful consumption, a boon to physical and mental health. A number of emerging ideas and platforms from around the block to across the globe are helping singles and families young and old connect over food.
Linking Diners T rough Technology
“I wanted to fi nd a place to create more meaningful conversations and meet new people than bars where people oſt en meet up, and thought home is that place. Who
22 Greater Oklahoma/OKC Edition
mericans are eating alone more than ever, with adults going solo for nearly half of all meals, ac-
doesn’t like dinner parties or potlucks?” says Jared Gold, co-founder of MealTribes, in Washington, D.C. Within two years, MealTribes has
grown to more than 200 members that can host or join potlucks via a private Facebook group open to area residents in their 20s and 30s. To encourage participants to be fully present, the group encourages guests to leave their phones in their bags. Instead of strict food do’s and don’ts,
MealTribes encourages attendees to bring a contribution that makes them proud. How- ever, guests are discouraged from bringing alcohol in lieu of a food dish to avoid it becoming the focus of the table. “Lasting friendships and business
opportunities have come from our potlucks,” says Gold. “Even skeptics have come away from events feeling like they got the best-case scenario; nice people, homey environment, with good food and conversation.” Jay Savsani, co-founder of Meal
Sharing, in Chicago, got the idea for the
NaturalAwakeningsOKC.com
“Airbnb of meals” aſt er seeking out a home-cooked dinner while backpacking in Cambodia. He was invited to a farm feast in the countryside, connecting with local hosts over great conversation and delicious food. “I returned home wanting to fi nd a way to use technology to recreate that serendipitous moment,” says Savsani. Today, the platform uses technology
to connect curious diners with aff ordable, home-cooked meals in 150 countries. “T e concept is open; we encourage hosts to make whatever they believe in,” says Savsani. “T at can be a top chef serving nine-course meals or a simple spaghetti someone off ers for a few bucks or even free.” Savsani says the meal becomes second-
ary to the deeper social interactions that can manifest through these gatherings. “We even got an inquiry from a local fi re department interested in hosting meals to get to know people in the community better.”
Organically Grown Gatherings
Lilia Fuquen, who directs the Food and Community project in Virginia, par- ticipates in several gatherings intended to nurture community through food. Fuquen’s project aims to bring people across the state together to document, celebrate and share traditional, contemporary and emerging foodways, initiating a deeper conversation about and the connections between food, place, culture and community. Last fall, the project convened more
than 200 people around a feast celebrating indigenous foods, people and foodways in Virginia. T e meal was prepared from locally farmed and foraged ingredients rep- resentative of the diverse native culinary traditions of the region, including greens,
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