Most people have worked in food service at some point in their lives. Some people even make a career out of the work. Handling food is a sacred act. Preparing and serving food to another is an intimate interaction that should be reverently approached and respectfully carried out. Let’s imagine a restaurant where not only those with means can eat, but rather our common humanity provides a seat at the table of plenty.
This is an imagining of The Land Office a project of the Imaginal Services Bureaux which is in turn a project of Cooperation Humboldt. We are imagining the most just use of property for sale in Humboldt County. This is a work of art. You can read our Principles or just read on…
Loving that brickwork…
This time we have a double opportunity to imagine a just world — two properties next to each other spanning the distance between the two streets that make up highway 101. The opportunities keep doubling with this location!
And how about that glass…
The southern lot is a former corporate chain steak house. The northern lot is a corporate chain sandwich shop. How about a double corporate ejection… Order up!
Sit down with community here…
Fifth Street features the Southside Restaurant. Anyone can walk in and order from a selection of meals made up of a variety of the locally available fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, meat, and fish. Nothing comes from out of the local bioregion, but we may let in some foods from our neighboring communities on special occasions.
This is where the magic happens.
But how will we pay for it? Imagine food as a right. Now you’re on the right track. How can we pay for the things that society deems essential? By all contributing what they can and getting what they need. Someone taking more than they need? Let’s help that person develop a sense of health and security, not punish them for their excess or hold them up as the winners of the game of capitalism.
How will you serve?
Enter our dining area as another neighbor takes a turn assisting you in getting the food you select. If you are healthy and able, you will have a turn washing dishes and preparing food in the kitchen. There is no servant class and no master class. We find a space for everyone to serve.
Ah, for the moments of enlightenment found pearl diving here…
Certain nights and days of the week the room will be reserved for the ceremonies of our lives — birthdays, anniversaries, reunions. Let us each serve another in these times of transition from one life to the next.
Chill out in here when it gets too hot in the kitchen.
The transition out of a capitalist economy will take time, but it’s worth it. Join us in celebrating a new way of dealing with food and community with music performed by neighbors or readings from local poets. A little culture with your bread, cheese, and wine…
The glamorous life of the restaurant administrator…
If you don’t need a full on dining experience and just need a quick bite to eat, then stop by the Fourth Street facing Northside Deli which bakes their own bread for sandwiches and more. You can bicycle up to the window and request a sandwich made to your desired specifications or come in and chat with the folks at the deli before choosing a meal in a reuseable container.
The view from a community owned and operated deli…
For the nostalgic in the crowd imagine a large sign in the shape of a crab above the deli. While this is no Weatherby’s, we will feature local sea food on sandwiches in the Northside Deli as well as the Southside Restaurant. The food is all about the local. And is it ever delicious…!
Some of us cried when the crab sign was taken down…
Imagine a world where food service is seen as a glorious, if not spiritual vocation. As a conduit from farm to table, the food service worker provides a link between the magic of the earth’s ability to turn sunlight, soil , and water into energy, nutrition, and health. On top of that some of them (or us) turn the work into an art form.
Bicycle up to the window for a to go sandwich…
Extended material and more perks are available for Patrons. Please contact us to start a conversation about how you can support The Land Office of the Imaginal Services Bureaux.
Here are some links to the background material
Assessor’s Map for 002-105-013 and 002-105-011:
http://co.humboldt.ca.us/assessor/maps/002-10.pdf
Zillow for the Southside Restaurant:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1905-5th-St-Eureka-CA-95501/205175806_zpid/
Trulia for the Southside Restaurant:
https://www.trulia.com/p/ca/eureka/1905-5th-st-eureka-ca-95501–2085252087
Zillow for the Northside Deli:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1906-4th-St-Eureka-CA-95501/205175805_zpid/
Trulia for the Northside Deli:
https://www.trulia.com/p/ca/eureka/1906-4th-st-eureka-ca-95501–2085252102
Here’s some food for thought:
Food For Thought at https://myfoodforthought.wordpress.com/
Previously was 26 West Third Street in Eureka, California.
Next is ready for you to imagine!