I wrote this experience a few weeks ago. It's actually four posts in one. Time to post it.
Iron Chef Challenge
When we got home from school today we had our own little Iron Chef Challenge: One hour to make enough food to feed 40 people at the homeless youth shelter in Salt Lake City. On the menu - tikka masala curry rice (a one dish wonder) and cupcakes. With the clock ticking I cut potatoes, Bren started sautéing garlic, KC chopped carrots and onions, Caleb made cupcake batter and Hannah put muffin cups in the muffin tins.
Over the course of one hour we boiled veggies, made sauce, got 60 cupcakes prepped and into the oven, and made three batches of rice. We also cleaned our stations down to the flat surfaces. Everything was put away and all dished were in the sink. Hannah swept the floor and KC wiped down counter-tops the only mess left was a little batter on the table. We did get held up by 10 minutes as rice finished cooking and cupcakes finished baking. It was an amazing feat.
As we sat in the car, ready to pull out of the drive, I said, "will someone pray that we'll be on time and have enough food. Like loaves and fishes. And, that the last batch of rice will be okay, cause it did not seem okay when I tried it a minute ago."
"I'll pray," Caleb said, and he remembered all of the things I asked him to. The faith if a child is incredible, we made it down town in less than thirty minutes with plenty of time to set up and get oriented.
Loaves and Fishes
"Can we help you get stuff out of your car?" Some guys asked us when we first got there. One was an employee of the center, one was a client.
"Sure," I said, thinking how kind it was of them to offer to help.
"I'll take the cupcakes," Caleb said.
"Me, too," said Hannah. There were five dozen, so it was good to have two helpers on that.
I handed the rice maker to one guy and a big bowl full of rice to the other.
"I'll carry the curry," Bren offered.
KC carried a bag of icing and serving utensils. I locked up the car and in we all went.
As the room was filling with 20-30 grown adults, I started feeling nervous thinking about how I'd planned to feed younger teens. The kids had the same concerns.
"So, here's how it goes," nick, the employee said. "We start serving at 4:15. Everybody gets served what you think you are able to provide in one serving each for about 30 people." He looked around at what we had brought and added, "if you feel like you have to go easy, it's okay. They're used to eating light when they need to."
"Well, I'm pretty sure we have plenty for firsts, but we will have enough for firsts, but we don't want anyone to go away hungry." I said. I thought, but didn't add, "and sending people away who are not full from our food violates one of our most important core values."
"Seconds get served at 4:30. If you don't have enough for seconds," he looks at our offerings again, "then you can scrounge around to see what we have on the shelves, or, they can just go with food bank food that's been donated, but they can't eat that here."
I frantically started scanning the shelves as he was talking. "So, if we can make something else with what you have here, can they eat that before they go?" I asked.
"Yes, but the key is it has to be enough for everyone," said charley, another employee. "It has to be the same or it is pandemonium. You can not believe what happens if you start offering different stuff from the main meal and there is not enough. CHA-OS! I mean, you don't even want to see that.
I'm feeling more anxious every minute.
"So, anyway, thanks for coming. We sure appreciate your help," he says and leaves us alone in the kitchen.
"It's okay, mom," Caleb says in a reassuring tone, before I can even state my concern, "I see more rice on their shelf. We can make so me if we need to."
Bren and KC didn't remark about the situation, but got to work straightening up and doing dishes so we could serve our meal.
Caleb and kc frosted cupcakes while Bren and i served the meal. Hannah stood by me most of the time, smiling at the people as we served them, and occasionally hanging cupcakes over the counter to waiting clients.
We portioned each person according to how much they wanted, a little for some, a lot for others. Generous with potatoes here, heavier on the sauce there. After we finished with the first round we were only half way through our rice and a third of the way through the curry.
Call for seconds came and many people lined up again. We gave them each a new bowl, and again filled it to their desired level. Three stragglers came just as everyone was starting to clear out. They wanted theirs in to-go containers.
"Can I get....." He mumbled and I didn't catch what he said.
"Sorry, what can we do for you? I didn't hear you.
"He didn't say Nothing," his girlfriend said, "he's just being selfish."
"No, there's plenty," I assured them. "What can we get you?"
"Is said I want a lot," he repeated. "I'm hungry and I haven't eaten all day."
"No problem. We'll load you up with whatever you need." And with that, Caleb piled several huge scoops of rice into the container, I ladled curry over the top, KC got him a few cupcakes and he was on his way.
When he left we started feeding all the employees. Then Bren, Caleb and Hannah ate their fill. The rice bowl had long been empty and the rice cooker only had a few sticky grains remaining clinging to the sides. I covered it with the lid and put the serving spoon back in the bag. KC put the lid on the curry and we got ready to leave.
We were all but packed out when a timid girl approached the counter. i hadn't seen her earlier.
"Are you all finished then?" she asked in a despondent tone.
"No!" KC said as she removed the lid to the pot of curry one final time. "There's still plenty."
I cracked the lid to the rice cooker and saw the scanty remains. With her bowl in hand I scraped the sides to get as much rice as I could. Miraculously there was one generous serving left. KC put as much curry, heavy on the potatoes and carrots, as the bowl would contain and Caleb served it to the girl along with a cupcake. The look of relief on her face was worth the whole day.
When we got home we had curry enough for at least two more meals and 14 cupcakes besides. KC said, "that's like our twelve baskets of stuff left over, plus some."
All in a Name
As we served dinner at the homeless youth center tonight we met lots of interesting young guys; Silence, Chatter, and Opie who now goes by Jason to name a few. There were also young mothers, Leena with a baby boy on her hip, and Kim who wanted plain butter on her rice.
"I always ate rice like this when I had my first baby," she said, her belly obviously full of another little one. "Just rice, and butter. Mmm. Maybe a little parsley and garlic salt. Sometimes scrambled eggs on the side if I had them. So good."
As we served each person, we asked their names and told them ours, and talked to them for a minute if they seemed open to it. I introduced Bren as The Curry-master, because he was the head chef on the tikka masala curry we made.
"Thank you, Curry-master," someone said, "this is awesome curry."
"Hey, curry-master, you did good," another client offered. Bren smiled and thanked them both.
"Hi," a girl leaned over the counter and cupped her hands around her mouth in a secretive way, "i hear your curry is really good. Can I get three containers to go?" she asked. "My ride is over-age," she whispered, "so, they can't come in. But, I want to feed them too."
"Sure. What is over-age?" KC asked.
"24. I'm 21 and I've been coming here since I was 15. I've got a couple of more years to go."
On the streets or not able to provide her own meals for 6 years. We were grateful to get to be the meal today. Wow!
In the car, on the ride home, Hannah said, "there was a guy there named Chatter, Dad, and he didn't say much more than 'thank you.' But, then, there was a guy named Silence who wasn't quiet at all."
"and there was a guy, what was his name? Jitters?" I asked the kids.
"Twitch, mom. His name was twitch." Bren said.
"Okay, Jitters, Twitch, whatever. His name fit him, poor guys was pretty shaky." I know, shameful remark. Not very compassionate, but sadly true of more than just that one guy.
Answers to Spicy Prayers
This next conversation took place after seconds were served and a young man, named Mark, was eager to talk to us -
Me - hey there, I'm Mariah, what's your name?
Mark - mark
Me - would you like seconds, mark?
Mark - yes, please, but no curry this time.
Me - was it too spicy for you?
Mark - no, believe it or not, we already had curry today. Somebody brought It in for lunch.
Me - oh, no. We had no idea. We thought we were being creative.
Mark - you were. We never have curry and today we got it twice in a row. Your curry was so good, but you can only eat so much curry in a day.
Me - yeah. Darn. So, what do you guys get a lot of around here?
Mark - spaghetti, lasagna, enchiladas on Tuesday. or is it Thursday?
Me - how about chili, sloppy joes or soup?
Mark - yeah, we see that stuff pretty often, too.
Me - what would you love to have, if you could chose?
Mark - well, it doesn't really matter, because beggars can't be chooses, I say.
Caleb - yeah, but if you could?
Mark - well, I'd say it'd be great to have some sort of down home cooking.
KC - like what?
Mark - I don't know. I'll bet you guys could come up with more ideas than I can. There are enough of you. You look like you've got tons of happy brain power.
KC - we do. Tons.
Mark - look, whatever you guys bring, we're grateful. We're excited for youth come back. Now, I hate to run off, but I've got a bowl of rice to devour and then I'm out of here.
When Mark told us he'd had curry twice today I felt bad and commiserated with KC about it. Bren said, "I don't feel bad. I think curry is a great meal to have twice in one day. Besides, I'm sure ours is different that the earlier one. People even said it was."
Then I had a clear impression, which was this: The duplicate in today's menu options was a direct answer to someone's prayer.
I pondered that as i continued to serve seconds of the second curry of the day. I imagine the prayer went something like this:
"Lord, I hope you're there, listening. I don't know if you are, but if you are, and if you care, I can't take any more spaghetti or pastas. Please, please show me your love by providing something spicy and exotic. Please let there be curry, then I'll know I am not beneath your notice or care....."
And, so, curry was served, in copious amounts, twice today. Once at lunch and once at dinner, just to confirm the answer, in case anyone was wondering, that God is listening and we are all worth His notice and care.
