The cook & I

He is white, speaks with a french accent, Jo-el. He is also a little dictator in the kitchen. I personally have never seen him cook anything.

I have seen Michael sweating over the huge pots for many meals. I get to see who's cooking because my truck is parked across from the kitchen and is used as the buffer between the cooking stoves and the street.

I have not been on the kitchen team until a couple days ago when the young white guy put 'in charge' made a total mess of everything - such a mess I felt I couldn't go to an action but stayed and cleaned the kitchen and organized the mess he left behind.

Jo-el, who is white, accuses Michael, who is one of the few African-American men on the plaza and working really hard, of stealing, of course, and being an alcoholic. And then says he's fired.

I try to intervene, to explain the consensus process to Jo-el. He cannot arbitrarily dismiss someone. Not just that, he is making serious accusations.

I am pissed we don't have our agreements in place. How many times do I have to bring up agreements in the g.a. only to be undermined and shot down?

I grab Oriana, the lawyer, and ask her to intervene. In the meantime, Jo-el is not allowing the hot food to be distributed. He claims Bruce, the minister, has told him not to serve any food until the G.A. is over or the action is done.

Again, I try to explain consensus to Jo-el but he is not having it, from me at least. When I see Bruce, he claims Jo-el misunderstood, that he never gave the orders to not serve any food.

I am not sure how it is resolved. Oriana takes Jo-el aside. Michael retreats to his tent. I help out in the kitchen & start serving food. And I inform a couple of the male organizers that Jo-el does not get the consensus process and we need a conduit from the G.A. to the kitchen so that we're all on the same page. They promise me they will take care of it.

The next day, we don't have breakfast - other then pastries, bread & peanut butter - because Jo-el claims the city is going to shut us down if we cook. I mention that that is a decision that should be made at the G.A., but Jo-el makes it adamantly.

Lunch time comes and we get vegan burgers and hamburgers delivered! I head to the kitchen thrilled to have vegan food, and Jo-el hands me a plate of burgers to give to the media tent. I ask him to add a vegan burger for me.

He tells me no one is eating until he says so. I ask him why am I bringing food to the media tent? He tells me they are working really hard and need food.

I'm aghast. I tell him I am working really hard and need food. Everyone needs food, especially when it's hot and ready.

He turns beet red, grabs the bowl out of my hands, and throws a vegan burger my way.

Later, he appears gracefully into the Peace Keeping meeting, asks people nicely if they had enough to eat, and then informs everyone he is no longer cooking because of me!

hmmmm. But I got my vegan burger and it was GREAT!