Jobs For the Future: Making Tzatziki!
...by Anne McGuire, Guest Columnist
Today at lunch I experienced one of those magical moments that reminds me why I do the work I do with young men on the autism spectrum participating in our “Jobs for the Future” program. We are working on a food services module- making menus, following recipes, preparing meals and cleaning up afterwards.
Denise Bell, Regional Minister of the Disciples Church in Georgia, visiting Christmount for the SERF Conference, complimented the beautiful food we’d prepared – gyros with grilled veggies, beef, and tzatziki. We invited her to try one. Denise, a vegetarian, was happy to have a grilled veggie gyro with the tasty Greek dip. She learned from JP, the intern who made the tzatziki, how he made it. He seemed delighted in his understated way to talk briefly with her. Later, Carl, another intern, explained to Denise that his favorite part of the lesson this week had been cooking on the grill and eating his gyro.
Why is this magical? One of the goals we prioritize in the internship program is fostering social engagement with others not on the autism spectrum. Our interns have lunch with the Black Mountain Kiwanis Club each week and today had an opportunity to meet and engage with a different group of lovely people.
Complimenting our guys, Denise reminded me that worship is about relationships and that she felt our guys relate from their hearts, happy to have others who are interested in who they are. So true – sniff, sniff!
Anne
JP’s Tzatziki
- One pint of sour cream
- Small bunch chopped fresh dill
- One medium cucumber peeled and shredded
- Two tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Stir and refrigerate