The day before this event I prepared 5 options how to get to Aspeggasse 27. One of them was the possibility of walking,  but I immediately rejected it. I was nervous and stressed when I turned on Google Maps, because I always rely on my teenage daughter when I need to get somewhere.

Luckily, I got on the right train. I found the address after 500 m of walking, but I have occurred in another kitchen. Finally, the people in there navigated me into that right one. HURRAY !!!

There were already a few colleagues there, 2 lovely ladies including (Vera and Bea), which were in organizational team. There were 12 of us from all units of Group Markets there excl. Caritas girls, with a ratio of 5:7 men to women. Almost even, great lineup!

I decided to do this activity based on my experience from my previous job, where we cooked for homeless people in Bratislava. I very much welcomed this opportunity. It is clear to everyone, that it´s for good cause, but I was also driven by curiosity and a certain concern about whether people, who don´t know each other that much or at all, will be able to work in a team under new working conditions and a certain amount of first discomfort. Oh yes, they will ! What is more, they can have fun and learn new things from each other.

Since we were preparing 3 dishes – a soup, a main dish and a cake, people divided their tasks very intuitively and started working hard. My colleague and I chose to chop the onions and garlic:) enthusiastically, then with “tears in our eyes” prepared all the necessary vegetables.

When we put everything in the pot and continued to cook, we tried to help other colleagues with tasks like washing dishes. The beginning of cooking, when Vera and Bea introduced us to the secrets of the kitchen, seemed like a race, who would be finished first.

I also learned the rule of letting the men finish the meal and season food with spices was worth it! The did it the best in the world

We had to face the fact, that we weren´t in our own kitchen, so we couldn´t always find everything right away. But Vera and Bea were always there for us to assist. Our almost 2-meter-tall colleague supported us here many times helping to get things from higher shelves where no one else could reach :).

The process of preparing for cooking, cooking itself, cleaning and then eating together could be compared in this sequence to a beehive, project work, party and silence in the church (almost:))

Fortunatelly, Vera and Bea prepared in the morning a delicious breakfast for us, otherwise our mouths would have been watering with hunger.

We first prepared food in shipping containers for people, who were not as lucky in life as we were, which was the goal of our expedition. Then we prepared a dining together for the 14 of us. What you cook, you eat! And we have eaten, just believe me :)  YUMMY !!! Everything was so delicious and the fruit cake with sprinkles was, in short, a fairy tale. My addiction, hmmm.

It was very pleasant to have a common lunch together after a job well done.

Finally we had to say goodbye to our colleagues and Caritas ladies. We were in such a hurry that I forgot to take off my cooking apron. And it wasn´t until Bea ran out after me, that I realized, what was happening. A whole heap of laughter at the end :):):)

At the end of the day I was satisfied, a bit tired (my colleague and I walked the entire shift on foot), but happy. Team Work is a dream work! See you at the next community cooking or other meaningful charity event, dear friends.

Autorin: Monika Masicova