The Food is Great at Occupy DC and So Are the People

Posted by Chandra Ward, WASHINGTON, DC -- It was a cold, blustry January day in the Nation's Capitol.  My Southern weather sensibilities were challenged walking around with barely enough layers to get me from the museums to the Metro station.  But I found warmth at Occupy DC's encampment perched in the middle of centers of capital, federal buildings and monuments.  I strolled through the tent city with my friend where we were greeted with open arms by some of the nicest people I had ever met -- including Stiff and Jerry who were the first to befriend us.  Jerry, the self-proclaimed chef of DC's Occupy, asked if we wanted a tour of the kitchen.

My new friend took us to this large but rather inconspicuous tent with a beautiful wooden totem statue outside. To my surprise inside was a fully functioning restaurant-style kitchen. In fact, it had everything a restaurant one would have, including a sign for “employees” to wash hands and a health inspection score of over 90. After our tour Stiff and I hung out and he gave me an arrowhead as a gift.  Jerry invited us back for dinner. The food was great and so was the company.  I came away so humbled by the generosity of my new friends who are not only dedicating their lives to this important social movement even in below freezing weather, but providing damb good food as well.

Chandra Ward is the Assistant Editor for Social Shutter and a Doctoral student in Sociology at Georgia State University. She can be reached at chandradward@gmail.com