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November 4, 2003
Coop Members Cut the Cheese
After two years of waffling and engaging in snide side comments, I finally took the plunge and joined the Park Slope Food Coop.
Now, before I get deeply into this, let me just say up front that I enjoy heckling and being sarcastic, hence, I've been making fun of the coop (or, as my father has put it, the organic food Nazis) for many years, just because I could. One must admit that there's enough fodder out there, whether it's warranted or not. The NYTimes Magazine article a few years ago gave me enough to run on...and reason to avoid joining.
Additionally, being the general introvert that I am, I have a mild phobia of running into people that I don't want to run into at the Coop. This is something that I must get over, as it's impossible to walk down 7th Avenue and not run into a teacher, student, coworker, Smith College alumnae, or any other array of acquaintances that I don't spend personal time with for a reason.
After much research and verbal pawing of those who are members (my most frequent response to How do you like being a member of the Coop? was Um, it sucks, but the food is great and you can't beat the price) I decided that the ends justified the means.
This decision led me to the second floor of the Coop last night, where I sat with about ten other potential workers. Hot damn, the Coop is organized. I walked out with more paper than I knew what to do with. But I must admit, I was fairly convinced that I was making the right decision when I decided to join...though I'd already made up my mind before I walked in.
Contrary to many people's accounts of their orientation, mine was fairly harmless. Aside from the twenty-odd times that our presenter said "Back when I cut cheese," I rarely had to stifle a giggle. I left wondering if presenters purposely talk about cutting cheese (yes, I know it's a valid job) just to see if there are those of us immature enough to snicker. If Cheesebus had been with me, we would have been dying.
Two hours and a basement tour later, I found myself escorted through the chaos also known as signing up for a work slot. Computers. Automate. That's all I have to say about that. After signing up for a 6am-8:30am Saturday slot (Signer-upper:Where would you like to work?, Me:Anyplace where I don't have to deal with people. The basement, please.) I received my free mesh bag and walked downstairs, armed to shop for my wonderfully cheap organic produce...only to find the line so mofo long that I made a bee-line for the door. This wasn't a wonderful first impression, but I'm assuming (hoping) that I'll find my rhythm and proper shopping time.
Now, I can't end this post without the proper sarcasm that it deserves. My main goal of being a Coop Member is to be as uninvolved in Coop politics as I can be...the presenter explained in great detail the trials and tribulation of voting-- most recently, for selling red meat, beer, and possibly installing debit card machine (you have to pay in cash or write checks against pre-existing money right now, which SUCKS). After listening quite closely, I was able to deduce that I will never have enough patience in an entire lifetime to deal with a Park Slope Coop Community Meeting.
Then again, you never know. We'll see how difficult I feel like being.
On the other hand, maybe I will just follow in Josh Karpf's footsteps and write hilarious (yet I'm thinking very close to true) satire.
Posted by callalillie at November 4, 2003 8:49 AM | Food , Life in the Slope
I always find it amusing that those of my generation who squawked loudest about freedom and liberation are almost always the ones who have set up insanely strict lifstyle regimens. Don't eat this, only eat that... be just like me or you can't play in my sandbox. Evenually, they all became more doctrinaire than the fools they despised; which probably why their kids all vote for Republicans - it's like voting for mom and dad without the ponytail.
Posted by: bob trancho at November 4, 2003 11:41 AM
It's quite interesting. I actually didn't feel that way about the coop until I read their newsletter last night. There was an article about non members and why they haven't joined. it was so slanted I wanted to slap someone.
Posted by: callalillie at November 5, 2003 8:52 AM
