This past weekend people across Canada celebrated with their version of a harvest family meal that recognized the food we eat, where it comes from, and the land it is grown on. Sharing a meal that celebrates the hard work of growing food and supporting the land (from zucchini grown in balcony containers to salmon harvested traditionally in unceded territories) is an important site of action in centring sustainability in our communities. So often these meals are held around western holidays, but the urgency to share our homes for social change on a more frequent basis is upon us. Here is our story of how we started a weekly, social justice “supper club” that you can start too!
How it started. Late one summer a new friend invited me over to pick pears from their tree to save them from all the bears who frequented through their yard up to the Kitsuksis Canyon in Port Alberni. I had just moved to Port Alberni, had just had a baby, and had renewed my commitment to local food. Gathering free pears from down the road from my house was an exciting way to connect with a new community and put away more food in my pantry.
While I was there my new friend and her family, who also had recently moved to Port Alberni, told me about how they used to have weekly dinners with friends that would essentially function like dinner parties. The dinners featured low key, vegetarian fare, and would rotate from house to house so each family would get a turn cooking and hosting. She asked if I would be interested in doing something similar in Port Alberni, so we rounded up some friends and our new weekly ritual began. On Sunday afternoon’s we each took turns hosting our aptly named Sustain-a-table, inviting our friends, neighbours, and families to share a meal together, to check in about our weeks, and to take action on issues important to us and our community.
Why we do it. Our family participated in Sustain-a-table like it was the lifeblood to our very existence. We rarely miss a Sunday and I loved to host and most often went overboard when we did (four kinds of vegan burritos, yes please!). For me, feeding people and being fed is crucial to my understanding of community building and sharing my home with “outsiders” (who are now “insiders”) as a way of promoting dialogue, community activism, and healthy eating. Also, from a feminist perspective, Sustain-a-table is the perfect way for me to take my beliefs around activism in the kitchen and making it a public, political, act. The food I choose to make (local and sustainable), the way I cook it (SLOW), and how we serve it (reusable plates and napkins, people sitting on the floor or wherever they can find space) culture jams with the perfect Dinner Parties women in the Western World are expected to throw as a way to entertain the cohorts of busy career-oriented husbands.
After a few years holding Sustain-a-table, other important reasons reasons for doing it emerged. We were able to take a random group of dedicated families and convert them into life long friends, co-parents, and business partners. We ended up starting two book clubs, a food buying club (bigger buying power equals cheaper goods for wholesaling and buying from farms), and were able to leverage our social and cultural power to make things happen in our communities, families, and jobs. Talk about a quick way to build a solid network of friends and cohorts in a small community where it feels like it’s harder to get “in”.
Start your own! First, make a list of about 15 people who don’t really know each other but you know would say YES to coming to your house for a FREE dinner on a specific night (we did Sundays, but pick whatever night works for you and a few of your guests, the others will start to organize their lives around that time, that’s dedication). Tell them what you’re making and when they ask if they can bring anything say “NO!” (unless you want to do BYOB because it’s OK to share beer costs). Once you have a list of people, cook a bunch of food within what you can afford. This is not an exercise in going overboard, we promise. We’ve had spaghetti and salad nights, and homemade sushi nights, and even a Caribbean Feast! Sometimes there is lots of beer and wine and the night goes on and sometimes it’s just dinner and some dessert and people take off and get ready for their busy weeks.
You can invite people by phone, in person, or by email or social media. And at least until everyone gets the hang of their new schedule, remember to remind them on the day of in the morning. When you have everyone over for dinner (try to do something non-intimidating the first dinner to encourage future hosts!) and while everyone’s eating, take some space and remind them why you’ve invited them (read all the perks above!) and then confidentially ask, “so, who wants to host next week?” We promise, someone will come forward! If they need help cooking, are shy, or are short on funds, maybe two people can split the second night, but remember there’s no pressure, ever, to host, and it’s important that some families can just keep coming for free dinner.
Just remember: Keep the tone chill, inviting, and open to discussion, change, and adaptation. Sometimes you’ll want to listen to each other play music or run after a bunch of hyper toddlers on a full moon or even have a heart warming conversation about growing and feeding your community. Be awesome together, it’s easy!
Diandra Oliver is a radical feminist and economist living in Prince George. She is co-owner of the community-funded social enterprise Home Sweet Home Grocery that aims to diversify the local foods economy by increasing access to local and organic foods, supporting women and young people in business, and advocating for a sustainable food system in northern BC.