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THREAD Government did U-turn on free school meals over summer. Food bank use higher than ever. I did story on A House Through Time on British Restaurants in WW2, Government backed inititaitive of communal feeding to improve health. Might this work now? Check out @national_food 1/
There’s been some excellent work on community kitchens & social eating initiatives by @EatingOnPurpose . Historian @drbryceevans his written about the idea of subsidised national kitchens, drawing on his research on community kitchens in WW1 https://theconversation.com/heres-a-better-alternative-to-food-banks-subsidised-national-kitchens-37928
There has been some amazing work done in lockdown by mutual aid networks restaurants, bringing food to people who most need it & providing a real service to communities. Jonathan Nunn writes about some of them here https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/06/restaurants-communities-lockdown-business-good-food?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
My research on WW2 British Restaurants shows that they were valued as social spaces as well as for their food. Their pleasant surroundings offered escape & brought art to masses & sense of communality helped overcome loneliness. @JohnnyGrey kitchen design students propose similar
I would love to make a documentary about communal feeding. As response to brilliant campaign by @MarcusRashford has demonstrated, we have a national crisis about food. There are lessons from past but also brilliant initiatives by @national_food @EatingOnPurpose @drbryceevans END
