‘I am part of GZG for about 3 years. My friend Marlene found out about it through Happycow and she told me about it. I went to the market the first time, not knowing anyone. The first time collecting was with Senka and Caroline I believe and after that I came weekly whenever possible.

I started by collecting on the market as I always had class on Wednesdays. Luckily that changed and I could join the cooking team. From that moment onwards, I have been doing both. Now due to time constraints, I am mostly there for cleaning or setting up tables – although being back at GZG after the Covid break is giving me so much energy again that I want to arrange to be there more often. 

I am studying Transformation Design at the Willem de Kooning academy in Rotterdam. My main focus lies on the reconnection to our natural world and the exploration of different ecosystems. I have always been fascinated by foraging and which wild edibles grow in an urban environment. I am passionate about the foundation of where our food and life on earth come from.  I find close links to GZG as my translation of these topics is reached through the exchange with people, eating together, creating together, and exploring the foundation (the soil) together. 

“I love everything about cooking, mostly exploring tastes that I do not know yet”

I have been vegetarian now for almost 8 years and vegan for around one year. I turned vegetarian after I looked at a flyer from Albert Schweitzer Stiftung that was about shredding the male chicken. When it comes to turning vegan, or almost vegan I would say, the tipping point was when I started feeling more and more like a hypocrite. I am active in talking, protesting, and doing as much as I can about the climate crisis, and not being vegan was going against these beliefs. To elaborate on “almost vegan”: I do occasionally eat milk products or eggs when I know where they come from and when I have a big craving for it, which rarely happens. Restricting myself quickly ends up in giving up completely. I do also call myself a “Freeganist”: eating non-vegan products that would have otherwise been thrown away. 

My favorite part of the dinner is the moment the buffet is open; the moment we sit and can try everything for the first time. Recently, we have also been switching up seats before dessert, so you get a new conversation partner and suddenly there are so many new topics to talk about. 

I love everything about cooking, mostly exploring tastes that I do not know yet. The moment you taste the food you or someone else has made, not knowing if you will like it or not, is so cool. And again, the exchange with others whilst cooking – talking about topics that come up whilst cutting a cabbage, whilst stirring the soup or whilst pressing orange juice. 

“I love the way how it is organized by several people”

I love GZG, it feels like one big family. It does not matter if you are new or if you have not been there for a while, everyone appreciates you being there. I love the way how it is organized by several people. The ones that want to, have the time and the energy, are more involved “behind the scenes”, but there is constantly the possibility to get updated and also help out more. 

Unfortunately, I was not very involved in GZG during the lockdown, but I was helping at Keju Care and another food waste dinner that was happening in the street where I was living (Almondestraat). Besides that, I focused more and more on my edible surrounding and the food I am cooking for myself in the last year. If that now had to do with Covid, I am not sure. 

I hope that we will soon have several locations within Rotterdam. The Afrikaandermarkt is also still a great place to start an offspring of GZG. I will for now continue to contribute with cooking, cleaning and occasionally going to the market.’