mealku
Ted D'Cruz-Young has created "an online meal cooperative ... that connects home cooks who trade meals with the click of a mouse," reports Sumathi Reddy in The Wall Street Journal (7/2/12). Ted is also founder of Ideocracy, a marketing agency. His idea for a food cooperative, Mealku, "feeds on the growing popularity of local dishes, food swaps and community-supported agriculture." The Mealku model "revolves around a points-based system that requires members to both cook meals and receive them; members are required to maintain a certain point balance."
Eventually, members will "pay $10 monthly dues," but for now there is no charge for the food, "though members pay a $7.75 transportation fee every time they order a meal, which pays for a fleet of bicycle messengers and the 24-ounce biodegradable bags to store the food, among other overhead expenses ... Members create profiles and post dishes offered up on a particular day. They write a narrative briefly explaining the meal, its ingredients, how it's prepared and what kind of food it is. Other members sign up for portions of the meal," which is then delivered by the bicyclists.
"We're still operating in an industrial age model in which we hoard everything as consumers, but we can't do it anymore," says Ted. "We need to get more from the depleted resources we have and share." Beyond food, the other resource involved is "trust" -- since all dishes come from anonymous sources. Because
there's no money involved, Mealku is not subject to health-department regulations. But the cooperative provides all members with food-safety guidelines and conducts kitchen inspections. That's been good enough for Jennifer Polland, a Mealku member who says her kitchen inspection was "thorough," adding: "So far I've had really great experiences and I certainly haven't gotten sick and the food's been awesome." ~ Tim Manners, editor.
Nora Lee
"'Now' is the operative word. You don't need endless time and perfect conditions. Do it now. Do it today. ~Barbara Sher