“Soupi” - Fremantle, Australia - 2011

I remain inspired by the weekly community vegan cookouts I attended while visiting a pal in Australia for my 30th birthday. Originally known as "Soup Night," the project offered dinner every Wednesday to the public for donation, for work/trade, or for free. The location was at FERN (Fremantle Environmental Resource Network) which at that time was approximately 2 acres consisting of several gardens and structures utilizing permaculture principles, and a small building that housed a large kitchen. A full-time volunteer lived at the space and managed the gardens, permaculture rotations, and organized the Wednesday cook nights. 

“Soupi” offered affordable/free food to those who needed it, but also great food to anyone who wanted it. All walks of life showed up on Wednesdays to either volunteer/cook, eat, or both. Families with kids, hipsters on dates, grandparents on dates, people who could probably use a date.. People volunteered at FERN during the week to garden, weed, chop branches, turn the compost, reinforce structures, clean, organize supplies,  or maybe just stopped by to borrow a bicycle - they had heaps of them available for rent or borrow that had been donated by members of the community and fixed up by volunteers. A soup kitchen/bike kitchen/permaculture farm where you could also have band practice? Love at first bite, and a very fine set of memories. 

When I returned stateside I had hoped that at some point, when my career had been established and when I had more free time, I would be able to participate in something like this in my own community. Educational, community oriented, tactile and fun. “When I have more free time,” what an interesting thing to say. I’ve sat through at least 100 terrible movies since then but have somehow misplaced the time to cook a meal for a line of happy strangers.