At around 1145 the team converged on The Bridge a local church run community food project. We entered the hall and around 1230 the food hall was at its peak busy period. They served approximately 100 people. The most interesting things is the personal touches. There is a price guide and a trust box where you can govern your own prices.
We began with introductions to some of the staff that volunteer for the project. Two of the ladies that run the farm were our first participants. “Helen” and “Margaret” were regular volunteers and they were easily identified as volunteers with aprons (all the volunteers had aprons on except the men).
“Helen” placed at least 10 little flags on our map of Dundee identifying places primarily along Perth Road that were good places to shop and buy food. Helen seemed really keen on the second day bakery along Blackness Road, stressing it was a good and cheap source of food. “It's not all second day”; “there is some misshapen food and you can pick up some bargains”.
Helen's opinion of the worst place in Dundee was Pizza Hut, “Avoid it like the plague”. Her favourite movie is It's a wonderful life or “The one with James Stewart and the angel”. We found this out when Helen was posed the question by our advent calendar questionnaire.
Sarah and myself started moving from table to table asking questions and using our advent calendar to instigate conversations. We approached one table near the door where an elderly couple had finished eating soup and bread. The couple were in their late 60s and the man looked a few years older.
The couple, “Jack “and “Jill”, were going to their daughters for Christmas dinner. Jill expected that they're may be between 12-15 people going over to her daughters for Christmas dinner.
Jack commented on a question posed from the advent calendar that he was planning to give out fairly standard presents. Jack and Jill did not spend a lot on presents. Wine for adults, maybe whisky, toys and sweets for kids and vouchers for anyone else who didn't receive an appropriate gift. Their Christmas dinner was a traditional dinner with a twist. The first course “has to be prawn cocktail” which would be followed this year by Turkey Parcels (Turkey breast wrapped around stuffing and cranberries in a parcel. A catering company was providing these and all the dinner pre-prepared all ready to go straight into the oven.
When we moved onto another table we were greeted by a mother and her daughter “Alice”. Alice did all her shopping at Morrisons on Forfar Road because the quality of the food was superior to that of Tesco. Anne's mother lives in sheltered housing just off of Perth Road. So the local shops on Perth Road are ideal for convenience and quality when Anne is shopping for her mother. She shops at Fraser’s, butchers, Fischer and Donaldson, Nisa and she can get pretty much everything she needs.
Alice was hosting Christmas dinner this year and the Vegetarian mother and daughter would prepare their own nut roast. However they would also prepare a bit of turkey for Anne's husband / Alice's father. Anne works in a pharmacy and she hates the Christmas build up in the retail environment but enjoys Christmas day. Anne Volunteers at a local church cafe every second week for one afternoon.
The experience was interesting and gave us a small insight into the values of the church community and some of the stakeholders present. We were approached by the vicar and a green energy group, both organisations being interested in our actions and hoped to get more involved.
The experience was interesting and gave us a small insight into the values of the church community and some of the stakeholders present. We were approached by the vicar and a green energy group, both organisations being interested in our actions and hoped to get more involved.
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