"I figure if we put in the curry powder for now, then we can go from there," said Elizabeth Irby '08 as she reached for a huge metal pot. It's a Friday evening in Slater Hall's first-floor kitchen, the base of operations for an ad hoc cooking club, and Irby and several of her friends are trying to throw together enough curry, rice and salad to feed 15 famished students.
This semester, 15 sophomores and juniors - tired of the University's dining options - have scaled down their meal plans and pooled the extra money in a bank account to cook nightly dinners as an unofficial co-operative. "A few people sort of became the organizers, and at the end of last semester figured out a plan and how much it was going to cost," said Lily Spottiswoode '09, a member of the group.
Zachary Stone '09, another member, said the group began last fall. "Last semester (there) were kids in Slater who cooked nightly, and that's where we got the idea," he said. They then began cooking regularly, inspiring a few people outside Slater to join, and the group has been cooking away ever since.
Many of the group members, including cooking novice Max Schoening '09, said it has been an educational experience.
"I'm learning slowly how to cook," he said.
Stone said they purchase most of their food bulk or go to local markets for fresh produce. "What's amazing is that we were able to do this pretty inexpensively," he said.
Spottiswoode said the group mostly cooks vegetarian food, which keeps costs low. She estimated the group will spend less than $3,000 this semester.
Groups like these are not uncommon at Brown, said Margaret Klawunn, associate vice president for campus life and dean of student life. But she added that because such groups are not regulated by the administration, University officials do not have any record of their existence. Klawunn said she had seen this kind of cooking group before.
"In my first job with the (Sarah Doyle Women's Center), I knew a group of students who did exactly that," she said.
Richard Bova, senior associate dean of residential life, pointed out that though this group displays some characteristics of co-ops - namely the pooling of money - the University uses the term specifically to refer to the independent, student-owned and student-run housing, such as the Watermyn and Finlandia co-ops.
The Slater group has met some obstacles - including a fire alarm - but most dinners turn out successfully, Spottiswoode said.
"There was only one time that it was a total failure, and we just looked at it and burst out laughing and went to the Ivy Room to get falafel," she said.
The group holds informal meetings every Sunday and writes down cooking and cleaning assignments on a large whiteboard in Ben Mandelkern's '09 room, where the group eats every night.
"Two people cook every night, and one person cleans. Cleaning has been sort of an issue. It's not fun to clean 20 dishes," Spottiswoode said.
Spottiswoode went on to explain that the group encourages its members to do the less desirable jobs by offering weekly recognition for the "most valuable person" and "least valuable person."
"I once got MVP for going to the kitchen and cleaning everything at three in the morning," she said.
Members agreed that the group created a great environment. "It's been an important part of the semester because it's like we created a family," Stone said.
There is a definite sense of camaraderie among the members both in and out of the kitchen. The group provides something that is missing after freshman year, said Rachel Blatt '09. "There's a loss of security your sophomore year," she said.
The group hasn't decided if it will remain active next semester, said Drew Cosbie '08, who manages the group's bank account. "If we had the space next semester to do it, we would love to, but I don't think we're going to," he said.
For the rest of the semester, though, the group provides something to look forward to every evening. "It's a really fun group of kids," Irby said. "It's nice to have this at the end of a long day. You know there will be good food and good company."
