Hot Dog Meal Kit

This Sunday, the Wood Street Meal Project had its second meal distribution event, . This week, I prepared an American classic: the hot dog.

The Day of the Distribution

Compared to last week's event, this event had much less components. Thus, I started working on the meals at about 9 AM in order to finish in time and get to downtown at 11:30 AM. For this meal, I decided to combine two hot dog cooking techniques, which are steaming and searing. For the buns, I placed a pan of water in a 250 degree oven in order to generate steam. Then, I put a tray of 50 hot dog buns into the oven, in order for the buns to warm and soften. At the same time, I also began searing off 50 sausages. When each batch was done, I placed them into a foil line tray in order to keep warm. By the time I was done, I had prepared 25 meals, with each meal getting two hot dogs. The last step of preparing the hotdogs was chopping fresh onions and placing them into sauce containers, as well as ketchup in order to serve as condiments. Finally, I prepared twenty five water bottles and twenty five chip bags to hand out with each meal.

When I arrived in downtown at 11:30 AM, I was ready and prepared to start handing out meals. Like last week, I arrived on Wood Street and I approached people and asked if they needed something to eat. Once again, within 30 minutes every single meal I had prepared was gone. By the time I was done, I was both happy and satisfied, as my work led to a real impact in my community. In addition, I got to talk to more new people, and learn about their stories, giving me a better understanding of what their situation is like.

What I Learned

• People who are unsheltered are no different from anyone else. Although societal stereotypes have portrayed these people in negative lights, they are just everyday people who feel into unfortunate circumstances. By taking time to talk to them, you can learn that you have many similarities, and they are really grateful individuals