Hello @reeflings,
It feels a bit odd to bring this message online, and at the same time the IRL meeting time we get together is so scarce and precious that I am choosing to just write a message. Happy to have little talks follow-up talks IRL if anybody would feel a need for it.
What I would like to bring up is a request to pay more attention to dietary requirements.
My story is this: when I was doing my introspection this summer about why I was so upset, food was one of the topics that clearly came to the fore. At the Christmas party last year for example, there was a potluck, and there was literally not a single dish that was gluten-free. I tried to shrug it off at the time, but I realised in summer that it left a bigger mark than I had wanted to admit. This is probably also because it was not an isolated occasion. I have gone home hungry after several potlucks, social events and full member dinners, which makes me feel a quite lonely every time.
I realise my dietary requirements are not the easiest ones, and Iām certainly not expecting the entire Reef to adjust to my food limitations, but it would really mean a lot to me if I could receive that care and be able to join Reef events feeling reassured that there will something that I can eat.
Is this maybe a request that I can leave with @reef-inclusion and @reef-communitylife, i.e. to remind the group and/or event organisers of peopleās dietary requirements? This is usually not something that sorts itself out, so it requires a certain awareness and pro-active organisation (for information: we have a list for the entire group, in the members registry https://c301.nl.tabdigital.eu/f/100996).