So I came down to FEEST tonight so that I could check out the work that my friend Roberto has been doing down here at the Youngstown Center. I have to say that the entire experience was amazing. The food and company were incredible and the night was super entertaining. After getting a tour of the entire building from Christina (the queen FEEST-er, I believe) and meeting all of the incredibly friendly people who work here at Youngstown, I was brought into the kitchen where I was introduced to the youth that staffed the place and immediately told exactly how I could contribute. While I spent time cleaning all the dirty dishes, the kids cooked up a variety of food; these ranged from a tofu curry and kale salad to a delicious pasta and bean salad, sauteed greens and poached pears poached in what tasted like a spicy mulled wine accompanied by a chocolate-peanut butter sauce. All the food was improvised and all of it was *super* tasty.
I also really appreciated the activity that was going on before the meal, where kids were having their silhouettes traced out and spent time writing down stories about their various body parts. I think it may have been called “auto-body-ographies” or something similar. It was so cool getting a chance to read all the stories that people hold within them that they are able to pin down and associate with the various pieces of their physical selves.
All in all, it was obvious that there is just a ton of love all around this event and this whole building and that there are a bunch of passionate, talented and caring people who are involved in making it happen each week. I am grateful for having been invited to participate and am looking forward to coming back in the very near future.
Thanks FEEST!