LiA Reflection 6: May 29
It’s hard to believe I’m already nearing the end of my time at the Abbaye des Dombes! As I wrap up my LiA, one of the places I have been working at most in the Abbey has been in the cuisine. Every day, we prepare lunch or dinner for about 50 community members, volunteers, and visitors. At first, the idea of cooking for that many people was daunting, but I’ve seen how the community effectively organizes its kitchen and streamlines meals to make it possible.
One thing that took some getting used to was cooking with and eating foods that were technically expired. When I first arrived, I was hesitant to eat yogurt with a best-by date from the week before - at the end of my time at the Abbey, they were still serving that yogurt with the same best-by date! The Abbey receives much of its food as donations of products that can’t technically be sold, but are still good. This practice saves money and prevents food from going to waste.
In the cuisine, our vegetables rarely came to us in good condition, and I spent many afternoons cleaning carrots and lettuce. It was very different from my normal practices around food preparation at home, where I used to get rid of anything that had even started to go bad - now, I’ve learned more about how to make the most of all the food I have.
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