There are scarce few things I enjoy more than making and sharing (and eating) food with people I care about. More than that, I love having the opportunity to change common misconceptions about vegetarians/vegan food items, food security and eco-friendly waste management through a medium as delicious as food.
So I'd love to let you all in on uOttawa's best kept secret. This is an incredible initiative started and sustained by wonderful humans on our campus and in our community. It combines so many rad things like food, food waste, waste reduction and most importantly, a whole lot of love.
The People's Republic of Delicious is a food collective run by student and non-student volunteers with a simple goal in mind: to Keep Campus Delicious. And this is done in such a simple manner. Anybody on campus can show up around with a reusable container and get a FREE vegan meal. Yes FREE and yes it's for anybody!
The PRD used to be located in the UCU Terminus, but they have now moved to a lovely new location that actually has a kitchen! The PRD is now located, every Wednesday, at Déjà-Vu, which is on the 2nd floor on Monpetit, kind of en route to Fauteux. You can now found them starting to prepare food at 9:00 and they start to serve buffet style around 11:00-12:00. They have an array of different things from salads and soups to desserts and breads. Also, any produce left over is laid out on a blanket, so folks are free to browse through and take some home! (so bring a reusable bag!) How amazing is that!
The PRD offer these healthy, environmentally responsible and affordable food alternatives on campus thanks to their community partner Herb and Spice on Bank St., who donate cosmetically-damaged produce and groceries to the collective. If this weirds you out, it shouldn't. The food is completely fine and what would normally happened with cosmetically-unsellable produce is so much worse; that perfectly fine food typically just goes to waste.
The folks at the PRD are great people. They're welcoming, creative, hilarious and kind, collecting and creating not only delicious meals every week, but also creating a safe space.
If you wanted to help out in the food preparation process and perhaps share and learn fun vegan recipes, preparations begin around 9:00. If you want to get involved in any other way or are looking for more info, check them out! They also have a bumping Instagram.
This is such an amazing campus collective doing so many amazing things for our earth, for our community and for others. So swing by Déjà-Vu midday on Wednesdays with your container and say hi, fill up and enjoy a truly special meal.
