Kobe Soup Kitchen

Yesterday the family volunteered (along with many others from P&G) at the Kobe soup kitchen. We didn't really know what to expect. Most of our assumptions of what it would be like were based on American TV. The reality was very different, starting with the location. The kitchen was in a small public park near the docks. There was almost nothing nearby. We had to drive, since there were no train stops in the vicinity. Finding it was quite a challenge and most of the volunteers got lost at least once on their way there.

Once we got there we watched as several men unpacked a small shed that stood next to the  baseball field that was the park's only attraction. The number of items they pulled out of the shed were amazing: tables, rice cookers, giant pots, cutting boards, utensils/bowls/cups, 5 portable sinks, gas cookers, etc.

The gas powered rice cookers

Once things were set up, we started peeling potatoes, chopping carrots, taking 25 bullion cubes out of their packaging, washing the raw chicken, etc. We let the kids do some things that I've never let them try before, like peeling potatoes and handling raw meat. 

Washing the chicken at one of the portable sinks

Potatoes and seasonings waiting to go into the pot

Adding ingredients to the giant stew pot

Once the ingredients were ready, the cooking began. The meat and seasonings went into an enormous pot, fueled by a portable gas burner. Three giant rice cookers were filled and the kids began putting icing on the brownies that one of the volunteers had baked.

Helping ice the brownies

Next there was about an hour of time with very little to do while the chicken stew cooked. A few volunteers were in charge of stirring the pot, adding the vegetables and additional seasonings. The rest of us stood around watching. Matt and I had a chance to talk to one of the regular volunteers. She told us that homelessness in Japan is a fairly new phenomena. Most of the homeless are men who have become that way through debt. Once a person in Japan loses their address, they are no longer eligible to apply for any of the social benefits and medical care to which they are normally entitled. This makes it next to impossible to get back on their feet. Many are also very ashamed of their homeless status and do everything they can to maintain a "normal" appearance so that they blend in with everyone else. I was very surprised (maybe just because of my TV-based assumptions) to see that none of the people who came to eat seemed to be drunk or high. For the most part they were very well groomed and wore clothing that was in decent shape. There was no odor and they waited politely in line.

When some of the children began handing out brownies early, they gently refused and waved them back to their stations, despite the fact that they were clearly very hungry.

Handing out brownies

Once the stew was ready we began preparing it to serve, ladling stew over bowls of rice. They told us to prepare to feed 200 and, as it got closer to 12:00 p.m., a long line of people formed in front of our work station.

People walked or biked into the area. It was a beautiful day, so that wasn't a hardship for most, but in the heat of the summer or the cold of the winter, people must be truly starving to put up with the inconvenience. Within 10 minutes, we had given out 175 portions of rice and stew, along with water/tea, bananas and brownies. The line moved quickly, smoothly and quietly. The men sat on the ground or on scattered benches to eat their meals. When they were finished they brought their plates to be washed. Many stayed to help with the washing up and clean up. At that point, I realized that the men who had done all of the heavy lifting at the beginning of the day, the men who were in charge of cooking the rice and who were scrubbing out the giant stew pot, were all homeless men themselves. 

Volunteers handing out bananas in front of the shed. The line
of men waiting for food is on the right

They had taken ownership of the process, even to the point of waiting to eat until everyone else had a chance. It was amazing.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure the kids got the kind of understanding that I was hoping that they would from the experience, but it is definitely something that I'd like our family to do again on a regular basis.