FSD Projects – Comedor

All FSD interns are assigned to an organization and have varying hours of work…up to 40 hours per week.  My friends Amber is in this situation…she works 8:30 to 4:30 Monday through Friday.  I however have it slightly more flexible.  Though I came to work with the comedor’s “microenpredamiento” (microenterprise) it is not actually functional yet (more about that later).  So that I am not sitting around doing nothing, I try to go in the morning to the comedor to “help” the women cook the meal for that day.  They usually start around 7:30 and end at 10.  I usually show up about 8/8:30ish, meaning I work a maximum of 10 hours per week (I like to think that I do other helpful things in my waking hours.) 

 

When I say try there are several prohibitors. 

1. If it is raining I do not go.  The tin roof of the comedor is speckled with small holes (possible cause by a hail storm last year) which causes it to leak when it rains, making cooking difficult – therefore, if it rains they do not cook.  (Food for thought – how would you feel if you couldn’t eat when it rained?) 
2. Last week the propane tank they use to fire the burners ran out.  They had another full one in the house of my supervisor (Marta).  However, due to rain, the streets that access the comedor were pure mud (the area where I work does not have paved streets) making it near impossible to transfer the heavy 5 foot tall tank to the comedor.  Therefore they did not cook for two days. 
3. There were a couple of days in which the keys of the comedor were misplaced (I think they were eventually found in the pocket of Marta’s son’s coat.)  Since they couldn’t get in they couldn’t cook. 
4. Actually corresponded with one of the days when the keys were lost, but a group of people from the comedor went to protest to get funds for a different comedor.  (I am not exactly sure of the details of this one.  I showed up to help at the comedor and she said they were going to protest and expected me to go – I felt uncomfortable with this for several reasons, one of which we were specifically asked not to participate in protests by the FSD program, another I was tired, cranky and sick.  I actually got out of this one because it was the day that conjunctivitis formed in my eye causing it to be red, everyone was concerned and said I should stay home and go to the doctor.  Miriam did end up taking me to the doctor that afternoon and I got some eye drops….unfortunately I had to wear glasses for a week which was a pain.) 
5. Sometimes I just really can’t convince myself to get out of bed – exacerbated when I had a cold – and since I am not actually much help anyway, I justify it (I know that it just laziness, but it does happen sometimes.)

 

As to my actual daily role in the comedor, it is kind of a joke.  However, since the panadería is not functioning, I hang out there anyway so that I am at least interacting with Argentines.  Of course getting cooking help from a foreigner might not be so helpful…I have finally made myself useful by cutting vegetables and sweeping the floor when they are done.  However, my time there has helped me identify several needs of the comedor.  As some of you may have read in my previous posts, their kitchen is lacking various basic cooking utensils.  The knives in the comedor are comparable to steak knives.  These small knives are used to cut hard vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and butternut squash, not an easy task!  They did not have a can opener and one day I had to use a broken knife blade and hammer it into the can inch by inch.  After telling my host mom this, she brought me a small manual can opener which I have made good use of since.  They use fairly old wooden cutting boards, whose potential hazard for bacteria prevents me from eating the food as much as possible…same goes for the one wooden stirring stick they possess.  They also are short on clean wash rags, towels, soap etc. 

 

Though not assigned particularly to work with the comedor, I want to help with their current situation.  As a result I am asking my family, friends, or anyone who reads this to give a small donation that can be used to buy some of these basic cooking utensils that most American’s wouldn’t imagine trying to cook without.  Most of you have or will receive a letter from asking for small monetary donation which I will use to buy these supplies.  I and they would greatly appreciate anything you can give!  If you didn’t receive the letter from me, send me an email or comment and I will let you know how you can contribute!

 

As for the actual Panadería (bread bakery) in which I came to work with, the outcome is still in the air.  The Panadería’s physical location will be in a small room that is directly connected to the comedor.  The actual room is about as precarious as the comedor – tin roof and walls, round wooden beans support the structure, some of which are badly burned from a fire that occurred in the previous comedor location.  One wall is made of brick…and I can’t quite figure out why but part of it is slightly collapsed in.  There are spaces between the roof and the wall, leaving the room exposed to the outside.  There is no water or electricity currently in the room.  When I arrived, the business was not yet functional (and still is not).  Due to a grant received by the previous intern, they were able to buy all the materials necessary to make the needed repairs on the room.  They also have everything they need to start the business, including a 30 kilo mixer and ingredients to make the first batches of bread.  However, security is also a problem.  The door currently has no lock (actually has no door knob at all the door is usually swinging open) and there is concern about security of the expensive equipment (the mixer).  Marta (my supervisor) wants to and has started to build a small shack on the property where her son can sleep/live so there is someone there looking after the place at night.  I personally am not convinced that it is the best or most cost effective way to create security (I think a good door lock and maybe a chain and lock securing the mixer would be sufficient), but have decided to let her do what she thinks is best – I do not live there, I do not know the best security options.  However, have not offered my “seeds fund budget” to help with that particular project.)

 

They have all the supplies to work in fix up the room so they can start the panadería.  Daniel, Marta’s husband, can do all the repairs, but he works and I think does a lot of advocating for the community so doesn’t have much spare time.  When I arrived, I figured the quickest way to get the repairs done and start the business was to pay someone to do it – after all I came to work with the Panadería and wouldn’t get that chance unless it was finished.  Each intern is “given” (I am pretty sure I am paying myself here as it was not free to come…) a $200 seeds fund budget for the project they decide to do.  For some that may be all they need, and if greater needs are identified they can write a grant for a project.  I didn’t write a grant because I felt the Panadería already had all the materials they needed.  I offered my seeds fund budget to pay someone for the repairs.  The quote we were given was the equivalent of about $150. 

 

This was four weeks ago and the repairs still haven’t been finished.  The guy has come several times and has accomplished some, fixing cracks in the wall and closing the gap between the ceiling and wall.  However, the “reason” I have been given (fairly legitimate) is that the wet and humid weather prevents the concrete from drying so we have to wait for better weather.  I have since also asked my host dad, Claudio to help out.  Claudio is currently unemployed so he is home all day and has vast experience with pretty much anything house/remodeling related, and also mechanic/automobile related.  Claudio has volunteered to help with getting all the electrical related stuff squared away and possible plumbing/water as well.  Claudio and I (and Miriam, my host mom) went to the comedor with Daniel so he could explain to Claudio what all needed to be done.  Hopefully tomorrow, Claudio and I will go to the comedor/panadería to get some much needed work done.

 

Lessons Learned:  If I could go back I would probably have used my seeds fund budget for something different.  Had I realized that paying someone was not going to be a quick and easy solution, I would have tried to organize a work day with people in the neighborhood and asked Claudio sooner for help.  However, I cannot go back in time, but am hoping that within the next week or two we will have a functional building and hopefully a functional Panadería.