Here is one aspect of the World Race that I was not anticipating: the amount of time that is consumed with food purchasing/preparing and dishwashing. Just imagine: a family (6 girls), no expert chef (where’s the mom?), a non-exorbitant budget (around $5 per person per day), no Chic-fil-a drive through and dishes that accompany three meals a day.
These factors combine to create a stressful environment at times. We go grocery shopping. “Is it Christina who doesn’t like bananas? Be sure to get her an extra apple.” We write receipts for spreadsheet records. “Where’s my pen?!” We divvy dishwashing duties with only a well and a bucket for tools. “I’M NOT DOING DINNER DISHES TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW!”
Ok, so discussions are usually less dramatic than that, but food and dishes become issues nonetheless. My take on the matter? I’m not the team leader or the treasurer. I get to hang in the background, without feeling the pressure of food buying. As long as I get some fresh fruit in my diet, there are no complaints from me. In fact, cooking has become a fun creative outlet, and I’ve always loved shopping. I get a rush from the marketplaces… the haggling, the discovery of great items (grapefruit!). It’s enjoyable, and again, the pressure has never been on me.
I admitted this to my team. “Guys, anytime you need me to shop, know that I’m totally willing to do it. I actually really like it.”
Mistake.
This month, all of the girls are together in one house for woman-istry. We are striving to live in abundance without marking team names on food or allotting half of a banana per person each day. We’re supposed to be a family, right? Eat what is in the kitchen. Be considerate. If you want an extra scoop of peanut butter or a late night bowl of cereal, go for it!
Loving life with in the house with my squadmates & our African market creations.
I absolutely love this mentality, but without individual teams taking care of their own meals, a “food crew” had to be established to buy groceries and plan meals for the house. This is where my aforementioned mistake comes into play.
When Rebekah asked me to be our team’s representative on food crew for the month, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. 26 girls. 26 opinions. Picky eaters. One budget. Scary stuff.
We started out strong: three full shopping carts and under budget at that! I made my now-famous taco soup for the whole gang on night one, and my squadmates awoke the next morning to a multitude of choices. Fruit! Cereal! Eggs! Toast! I thought we had done a pretty good job, until I realized that the multiple hours of planning, shopping and cooking had only taken care of one day of food.
Megan & Marie: the other members of the food crew with our usual goods.
This realization hit around the same time the opinions started flowing in. How about granola? Could you get fat free milk? Salad for dinner? Are we expected to eat only rabbit food?
Thus began my journey of figuring out how to keep 20+ people well-fed and happy, Michelle Dugger style. The answers to our food woes? One major shopping trip every four days to Spar: an AMAZING African grocery store. Assigning one team a night to plan and cook dinner. Sending others to the store between shopping trips for extra milk or cookies if needed. Making lists with colored pens to add fun to the job. Creating a “suggestion box” for opinions. Megan, one of my fellow grocery girls, will literally plug her ears and exclaim, “Put it in the box!” if someone tries to complain to her. It’s very entertaining.
So what is the moral of the story? What have I learned through my experiences other than appropriate times to pull out John and Kate Plus 8 and Brady Bunch references?
I have learned that I am pretty excited about being a mom and taking care of a family one day. I find myself trying to cut costs and questioning products on the cereal aisle to eventually say, “My babies want Special K. We are getting them Special K!” I genuinely love taking care of my girls this month as I sweep Spar’s entire stock of the tasty cereal.
I am learning to balance my people-pleasing tendencies with the need to make firm decisions. Did I expect to learn how to feed a family of 26 while on the World Race? No. Am I being prepared for my future as a roommate or a wife or a mother of 2 or 5 or 20? Yes. God, Your will be done.
I can’t wait to see just what it is I’m being prepared for.
