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"So I know I'll eat today, at least," he explains, as he counts his quarters one more time while the doors open and everyone heads in.
Miriam's Kitchen, located in the basement of the 2401 Virginia Ave. church has been providing free breakfast five days a week since it opened in 1983. When the doors open, the typical cold cereals, oatmeal and juice are ready for those who can't wait for the prepared meal; yet, it's at 7 a.m., when the buffet line opens, that Miriam's distinguishes itself. Alongside the french toast and fruit salad are trays of lentil stew with rice and curried zucchini. Steve Badt, director of kitchen operations and volunteer services, said items like these are morning staples here.
"At a lot of shelters or other food programs, (breakfast food) is all they serve in the morning - powdered eggs, salty home fries, whatever. That doesn't take into account how important nutrition is, especially for people who are exposed to the elements all day," Badt said. "For some of these guys, this is the only meal they'll eat today. So we have more of a brunch program, I guess, to give them things that'll be good for them, stuff they'll want to eat."
The kitchen dances between organizational precision and madness the morning of Dec. 18, as the day's eight volunteers scramble to replenish the buffet line, serve patrons and cook enough food to satisfy the appetites of the nearly 200 expected clients. With such a demanding audience, it's a high-stress environment on a normal day, to say nothing of being shorthanded.
"This batch of curried vegetables' not as good as the last," one patron complains. Another demands to know why he can't have more rice with his stew. Yet another asks a volunteer if she'll pick the meat out of the stew for him.
