Changing the Food Landscape in Boston

The purpose of this trip is to learn about how people in Boston are changing the food landscape to make this world a better place for the humans living on it. Here are a few of the stories.

Dorchester Co-Op

Changing the Thought Process

The general manager, John Santos, led us on the tour of the recently opened Dorchester Co-Op. Dorchester is one of the most diverse suburbs of Boston and many of the people living in the area have little access to whole, sustainable foods. The Co-Op is out to change that.

There are 2,000 families that have paid into the co-op. They have a say in what they want purchased for the grocery store, what their ethnic sensitivity and political issues look like.

One really neat thing they are doing along these lines is to not change the ethnic foods that these people are already eating but to help them rethink the way it is eaten. For example, choosing a better quality oil to fry the foods in.

Breaking Down the Barriers

Since they are serving often underserved and low-income families, they buy things for cheap or even get things for free. For example, if a semi-driver delivers a pallet of produce but dings it on the way out of the trailer, the typical grocery store will reject it. Knowing they need to have an empty trailer when they finish, they will call John and sell it to him for a reduced price (or again, even give it to him for free). 

One big barrier to the job is that over sixty percent of the employees don’t speak English and he does not speak their language. Yet, they have ways of getting around this, proving to him that there are other ways to communicate besides language.

If you are in the Boston area looking for fresh, healthy food and want to make a positive impact, head over to Dorchester Co-Op to get your goodies.

Comfort Kitchen

We walked from Dorchester Co-Op several blocks to the James Beard’s semifinalist (Best New Restaurant) Comfort Kitchen. We were seated and ordered food before the head chef Kwasi Kwaa greeted us and talked about their story.

My favorite thing he talked about was how their food is a history lesson on a plate. Their food is the only one in Boston that focuses on the African diaspora. The building itself has a nod to history- built in 1912 as a restroom, it has sat empty since the 1970s. The group got a grant to restore the building’s exterior and revitalize the interior to a twenty-eight person capacity restaurant with much of the seating overlooking the kitchen.

Given all the buzz with the food and drinks, people who visit Sommerville and other outskirts of Boston are now venturing into Doerchester to try out this unique restaurant. And it’s with good cause. I, along with two of my other gastronauts, got the Liberty Shwarma Bowl and it was decadent. My favorite part, oddly enough, was the pickled beets. I haven’t had them in such a long time, I tried to get them on every bit of the bowl.

Haley’s House

Inside the Space

Going to Haley’s house was a super interesting experience because what was supposed to be a half hour tour turned into an hour and a half tour. The lady who took us through the south end has a double bachelor’s degree with a minor in anthropology. I think she was as excited to have us and be able to talk from a knowledgeable standpoint as we were to be there.

It is a really interesting concept- there are workers who make breakfast for about fifty homeless people six days a week (Saturdays are their day off). In exchange, they get room and board and their lease lasts two years. They do not get paid but many of her co-workers have part-time jobs.

Garden Plots

During the walk we learned about a particular plot of land between high-end housing and public housing where people can get in a lottery to get a plot of land. The garden concept was originally created by the Asian families in the area but the city took it over, then gave it to a company who handles the lottery. 

In addition, given that China has such small spaces, many of the gardeners were growing vertically which became a big issue for their neighbor plots. They had to have meetings and in the end decided that plants could not grow more than six feet tall in each respective garden.

We finished the tour at Pine Street Inn, a homeless shelter for men that has more permanent housing solutions than emergency shelter. Many of the men that eat at Haley’s house often stay at the emergency shelter each night, so long as they can get a bed. They are required to leave at five am each day and make the same walk we did, past high end neighborhoods, just to receive breakfast and another warm place to stay for a few hours before starting their day.

Wrapping Up the Day

We then went for a refresher at the Sipping Room. Seeing that they didn’t have strong coffee (aka, espresso) Bianca and I went over to Pavement. Then we walked around the gardens near Fenway Park; albeit, we missed half of that because we got a bit lost- thinking we were supposed to be on top of Fenway, not beside. 

It was a great way to start the weekend and, I must say, I think everyone in the program should come to Boston for a weekend just to immerse themselves in the culture and what they are learning. 

Stay tuned for Part two of this trip!