(LO1 – Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth, LO2 – Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken developing new skills, LO5-. Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboratively, LO6-engagement with issues of global significance, LO7-Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions)
Karma kitchen is a fully-volunteer-led event whose sole purpose is to connect with priceless; is an attempt to create a culture of pay it forward is an attempt to grow in generosity. In today’s economy, where everything has a monetary value, Karma kitchen has tried to remove the price tag and bring gratitude amongst the guest as well as among the volunteers. The volunteers were given a restaurant and had to prepare food, and additional services like cleaning, waitering, post-cleaning, and managing.
I chose to volunteer as a waitress for this event. It was difficult for me as I didn’t have any experience being a waitress so everything about it was a new challenge for me. It was a challenge as I had to learn how to serve, greet and interact with the guests. I had to learn how to have a calm tone and to be patient when the guest questioned or complained. I had to constantly be in motion, meaning, I had to run back and forth to take orders, serve customers and talk to the kitchen head for orders. Working on your feet for the entire shift is very hard and exhausting. The work gets harder as the restaurant time reaches its peak hour. Being a waitress, I have to be attentive, tactful, friendly, and polite to everyone. I also needed a good memory to remember orders, and to recall their faces and preferences.
Furthermore, I had to work together with other volunteers who were watering. We had to work together in order to serve well. We sometimes had to communicate with each other in signals and had to sometimes take each other’s order to ensure smooth function. We also had to work with the kitchen head who had to communicate between the cooks and the waiters and ensure we received the right orders. As a team, all the volunteers were interdependent on each other to make this event a success.
Working on the ethics, Karma kitchen as mentioned above is a fully volunteer-led event, and the actions we as volunteers take directly reflect on the organization itself. We have to maintain our tone and our words and ensure we maintain a good profile that reflects on all the things which are being taught. Moreover, the idea of paying as per gratitude of the guest. The 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.
