Karma Kitchen-A Restaurant With No Check

Imagine going to a restaurant where your bill has already been paid before you arrive.  It is a new concept but has now spread its wings to 2 locations in the US because of its popularity.

Karma Kitchen first opened in Berkeley on March 31st 2007, by several volunteers inspired to seed the value of a “gift economy”.

“Run by volunteers, our meals are cooked and served with love, and offered to the guest as a genuine gift. To complete the full circle of giving and sustain this experiment, guests make contributions in the spirit of pay-it-forward to those who will come after them. In keeping this chain going, the generosity of both guests and volunteers helps to create a future that moves from transaction to trust, from self-oriented isolation to shared commitment, and from fear of scarcity to celebration of abundance.”

Serving up lunch only on Sundays, this concept started in California and now has spread to Washington.

Now you may be asking who actually pays for your meal, who works there, how is it doing and how can you get involved.

Who pays for my meal at Karma Kitchen?

At Karma Kitchen your meal has been paid for by someone who came before you. Since it’s a gift, you can’t pay them back — but you can pay-it-forward by making a contribution that will allow future guests to experience the same generosity. It is this circle of giving that allows Karma Kitchen to keep going.

Who runs Karma Kitchen?

Karma Kitchen is run by a dynamic group of volunteers that assembles at the restaurant each week to practice generosity through the simple act of serving a meal. Among them are teachers, artists, doctors, students, grandmothers, engineers and activists; people often come back to serve but it.s never the same crew twice! Formally, Karma Kitchen is a project of CharityFocus, a unique nonprofit organization that ignites and supports small expressions of service through technology.

How is Karma Kitchen faring?

At this time, Karma Kitchen is able to sustain itself through guest contributions; any surplus that is received goes towards supporting an array of gift-economy/generosity projects that work towards a common good. Many of the special items you see on the Kindness Table are made available through these projects.

How Can I Get Involved?

Volunteering at Karma Kitchen is a great way to get involved.  You can sign up on their website and they will send you more information. Share your experience as a guest with friends and family who you think would resonate with the concept.

What is the gift economy?

In a gift economy, goods and services are given without any strings attached; it is an economic system where it is the circulation of the gifts within the community that leads to increase — increase in connections, increase in relationship strength; in this context, hoarding actually decreases wealth. At its core, gift-economy is a shift from consumption to contribution, transaction to trust, scarcity to abundance, and isolation to community.

There are now 2 locations that serve lunch on Sundays:

California Location

Karma Kitchen (Sundays, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.) located at:

Taste of Himalayas Restaurant, 1700 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA
Washington Location

Karma Kitchen (Sundays, 12 – 3 p.m.) located at:

Polo India Club Restaurant, 1736 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-483-6514

Freezer Cuts Food Costs

How do you use your freezer? Is it a place for ice cubes, ice cream (often frosty because it is too old), leftover food that has gone to waste, or the bag of frozen vegetables.

Cut your food costs by using of this appliance in 2 ways:

1. Take raw ingredients you have too much of or whose life you want to to prolong – and freeze them.

2. Take things you have already cooked (stock, beans, leftovers, fully cooked dishes, etc.) and freeze them.

Keep the refrigerator organized and do these tasks regularly. Cooking will be cheaper, more efficient and faster.

Wasting Food

The most important tip is that as soon as you realize you don’t need or can’t use the food, freeze it. If you are not eating what has been cooked, have left overs, have extra vegetables because of a super harvest, strawberry picked, etc. you need to either blanch the items and freeze them (if they are harvested items) or collect them from the refrigerator and get them in the freezer.

Freezer Burn

Maintain quality by double or even triple wrapping food, filling contains to the top and squeezing the air out of the containers (zippered bags are good for this).

Sauces can also be frozen with a layer of oil on top (e.g. pesto). Other items such as beans can be topped with water or cooking liquid, leaving room for expansion.

When to Use

Use within a few weeks if possible and label the items with what they are and the date.

Leftovers

Make an extra dish when cooking and either freeze as one dish or individual portions topping with water, cooking oils, or oil to prevent freezer burn..or freeze in zippered bags squeezing out as much air as possible.

Defrost in the fridge, in cold water, or in the microwave or not at all as some can be reheated straight from frozen.

Beans and Grains

Make extra and freeze covered with water or cooking liquid.

Stock

Make as much as you can. Reduce it so that it is extra concentrated and reconstitute it with water to taste when you are ready. Refrigerate and skim the fat and then freeze in containers or ice cube trays.

Bread, Dough and Bread Crumbs

Freeze dough in well wrapped balls, defrost – good for pizza. Stale bread can be made into crumbs in a blender.

Pastry and Pastry Dough

Cakes and cookies freeze well. Frozen logs can be sliced and baked later.

Tomatoes and Tomato Sauce

Freeze in zipper bags squeezing out the air. Ripe tomatoes can be cored, quartered and thrown in a bag. When they thaw the skins fall off. Freeze canned tomatoes in their juice.

Bacon

Wrap in plastic and cut off pieces as you need them or cut before you freeze.

Fresh Herbs

Puree herbs with oil and water or chop them and freeze in ice cube trays covered with water.

Fish

Fish freezes well. Wrap carefully in plastic. If you are buying fish that has been frozen to begin with, ask for still-frozen rather than thawed fish. Store it in the freezer or thaw in the refrigerator.

Fruit

Freeze berries or stone fruit halves spread out on trays, then bag or put into containers so they don’t all freeze together in block. You can also cook down a bit and store in their juice. You can also puree and freeze.

Vegetables

Blanch them for a minute, spread them on a tray, freeze them like the fruit. Bell peppers and tomatoes freeze well raw.

Bananas

Peel and individually wrap overripe bananas in plastic and freeze. Use with a few weeks for bread or smoothies.

Tortillas, Waffles or Pancakes

Wrap 2 at a time in wax paper, then in plastic, freeze flat. Stick the wax paper packages right into the microwave for a minute.

Egg Whites

Freeze in batches of 2-3.

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Streusel Crumb Coffee Cake

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