tuesdays are my favourite

about a month ago i began working at a soup kitchen here in nørrebro called kafa-x. every tuesday, i go over there around 4pm and chill out while waiting for the others to arrive. usually it is about 4-8 of us feeding at least 50 people (we haven't taken to doing headcounts yet, but i guess it might be a good idea at some point). around 4:30 we split up and go to two green grocers nearby; they will give us whatever fruit and veg that's about to get binned. occasionally what they give us is too rotten or mouldy to work with, but for the most part it's some very decent stuff that only needs a good peeling or picking at.


once we gather the donated roughage, we pretty much just stand there and figure out what we'll make for dinner. everything served is vegan and and gluten free, except the two huge bags of bread that the local organic bakery donates to us. usually we make brown rice and a dhal or a big soup with lentils as a main since it cooks quickly and fill you up. since we get mostly vegetables, we'll also have a salad of some sort. this week we got a LOT of tomatoes so one of the girls decided to make a delicious roasted tomato sauce. the way we work together is something i really like; the first day i walked in there, i was asked to start making the lentil soup. none of the other volunteers met me before, and yet i was trusted with the main dish! all of us volunteers are equal, no leaders, all ideas valid. the more culinary backgrounds, the better!


at around 7, dinner is served. but i suggest you get there earlier if you'd like someplace to sit. it's a tiny, cozy 'cafe' and sometimes it gets so full that patrons have to eat outside. with a healthy meal like that for 20kr, it's easy to see why so many show up. a couple of the regulars did some advance planning the past two times and soaked beans overnight. last week it was made into chili sin carne and this week was refried beans. one of the girls cooked and then mashed the beans with a healthy amount of chili pepper plus tomatoes and stuck it all in the oven to get a nice crust. that was honestly my favourite part of the meal. along with lentils and rice we also had the tomato sauce, beans, cabbage salad, and fruit salad. not pictured is my effort of the 'poor man's pesto' with parsely and toasted sunflower seeds, but i wasn't very happy how it turned out. the handblender is a bit weak so the consistency stayed pretty grassy... /:


yesterday i think our closest green grocer threw in some fresh herbs just for the hell of it. there was nothing wrong with most of them. fresh sage, what a treat! we weren't able to use it all so i got to take a bag home along with some bread and a croissant for my husband. whatever perishables that are left after dinner are up for grabs to volunteers and diners alike. there is always so much bread left, i never buy it anymore. (:

with a cheap meal like this, you can't expect to be served. we hand you a plate of rice and the main, and you can choose how much you want of everything else. sadly we do sometimes run out before everyone gets a plate. the thing is that you gotta wash your own dish and listen to whatever activist, anti-facist, feminist crap we want to say. that's all. and of course, if you want to come help cook at 4, your meal is free.

kafa-x
korsgade 19, basement
every tuesday at 7pm
dinner costs 20kr, tea/coffee are free