Ahead of the Commune workshop, I have decided to use two days to really step out of my comfort zone and see how my friends and I could cope following a plant based diet. We met this morning and travelled to the country side, where we knew there would be no shops, supermarkets or anything for a few miles from where we were staying. Eating meat daily is something we all do so this was quite a challenge for us all. 

When we arrived we had already planned our meals for the weekend. For dinner on the first day, we had a plant based chilli with brown rice and kale chips. I really struggled to feel full form this meal as there was little to no protein. Going back to our rooms, we all spoke about how hungry we still were, and so decided to snack on some fruit. I also thought that it would be interesting to see how we felt having little protein alongside having no sleep. 

On the second, and first full day of following this plant based diet. We realised that we began to crave some sort of meat and other things. For breakfast we made porridge with almond milk- which is something I don't usually mind too much - with blueberries, some nuts, nut butter and honey, as well as some toasted bread. 

After about three hours, we all began to get hungry again, but said that we should wait until about 2:30 before we had lunch. Living like this with food that I wouldn't normally eat is really challenging as I got really hungry throughout the day. We all decided to go for a walk to pass the time, but ended up, not only getting lost, but also really hungry! 

Before we left for the walk, we put on some soup made of sweet potato, parsnips and peanuts to cook. When we got back we made a salad, with roasted roots, beetroot and kale. I really dislike beetroot and usually only have salad as a small side dish to accompany my main. Some of my friends have really struggled these last two days and so we decided to make a little batch of brownies. The brownies were made from dates, sweet potato, cocoa nibs - and we added walnuts to them. To be honest, the first bite I had I really enjoyed it, but the more of the brownies I had the more gross they were to me. I couldn't eat any more as I really dislike dried fruit such as raisins and dates - and in the brownies the dates were really strong. 

Despite our best efforts we couldn't deal with having little protein anymore, so drove to the nearest service station with a M&S. There we all rushed to the meat aisle. I got a few packets of ham and salami, some prawns and some chicken. When we arrived home we all just began cooking everything and for dinner had a mix of everything. 

I think what I've learnt from this experience is that once you're told you can't have something you begin to crave it. I also think that it is important that we eat whatever our bodies are asking for and we shouldn't feel the pressure of eliminating certain food groups due to current trends. 

Unfortunately due to personal reasons I was unable to participate in my groups commune. Although I have already done a practice for my own, I still need to generate much more research. I hadn't taken any images from that weekend which is so stupid as it would've helped massively with my visual primary research. 

I went to Portobello Market as I thought that this would be an ideal area for me to get images of food, which was fresh and also cooked. I also managed to get some images of people eating which is something I think I want to explore in this project. Looking at how people eat, trying to find people at their most vulnerable and exposed. 

I spent the whole morning here. Me and my friends love coming to the vintage shop on Golborne Road, and so it was a really good morning. I also spoke to many traders about what they enjoyed and what their favourite produce was. It's interesting listening to peoples stories and memories surrounding food. I think this could also be a really interesting starting point. 

In my local area there is a farmers market every Sunday. Much like I did at Portobello, I decided to go and look around and speak to more traders and do some people watching. I wanted to look at people, considering what they picked and/or ate during their time there.