Community Spotlight

[Lizzie]

Hello Everyone,

In February we launched the first Community Spotlight, where we got to know a little more about fellow community member @Andrea9,which was fantastic.

This month, we have been speaking with.....Gerry 🙂

@Gerry-And-Rashid0

London, United Kingdon

How long have you been hosting for and why did you first start?

We have been hosting for about a year and a half, but had created our listing about 6 months earlier. Like many people we were a bit nervous about the idea of people sharing our home: what sort of people would want to stay, would we feel comfortable having people we never met before in our home? We decided to take the plunge as Rashid was going back to full time acting, which as most actors know is a life style choice rather than a way of earning a good living. So, it offered the chance to bring in a fairly regular income to support that change in his working life.

Tell us a little about your listing

Our apartment is not that large, but probably by London standards bigger than many. We are lucky to have views from our flat across London and that’s one of the things that our guests love. It’s also incredibly quiet for London and in an area that has a great variety of people, shops, markets – many of which even Londoners have not visited!

What are the most important things you have learned about hosting?

First, your guests are just as nervous as you – they are coming to a stranger’s home and just want to see a friendly face, someone who will help them with their plans if they are new to your area. Make them feel welcome and relaxed.

Second – remember you need to take time off. As great as it is meeting people from all over the world, sometimes you need your peace and quiet. That’s why we usually only take guests Thursday to Monday. It can be tiring…

Finally – describe yourself and your interests, and include a few photos. You will tend to attract people who have a similar type of outlook and interests. It’s particularly important if you are just renting a room in your own home.

How long have you been part of the Community Center and why did you join?

We joined the Community Centre from the moment we started listing. We liked the idea that there were other people out there with the same concerns, questions and challenges who could help us. It was great to be able to read about some of the common questions that come up, particularly with regarding helping guests feel comfortable when staying with you. You also read different views – sometimes there is no right or wrong answer to a question and that’s what makes the individual contributions so helpful.

What is your favourite thing about the Community Center?

It’s great that people are willing to share their time and experiences with new hosts. Over time you also get a different perspective as to why people host and how they manage their time, their listings and make it enjoyable rather than stressful. You also learn about balance – not sweating the small stuff: accidents happen and it’s part and parcel of hosting.

What would be on your menu if cooking for a dinner party with friends?

If I am cooking then it’s Italian – or at least my take on it! I love cooking different types of risotto – some Italians have even been impressed… When Rashid cooks, then it’s Uzbek food – of which a rice-based dish called plov is the central focus.

If you could live anywhere other than the UK, where would it be and why?

Outside of the UK we love Spain: cities like Grenada, Madrid, Seville, and in particular, Palma. The food is wonderful and the culture is amazing. There is also so much variety in scenery and geography as you travel through Spain. So, that would be our number one location for a second home. However, there are so many interesting cities in Europe - we visited Lisbon last October and loved it from the minute we arrived. 

What activities would make up your ideal weekend away? 

Our ideal weekends away are spent exploring new cities – we love city life, the variety and history and the mix of people. You can walk for hours in a city and discover new things around the next corner. Cities are great at hiding new experiences that you will never find listed in any guide book. Perhaps growing up in the countryside means we go for the opposite experience when we go on weekends away.

Thanks you so much Gerry for taking the time to share a little about you. It is wondeful to read.

Feel free to ask any follow up questions of your own or leave any nice comments you might have. 🙂

[Lizzie]

It is amazing to hear all the lovely comments here, I completely agree with you all that it is so interesting to read @Gerry-And-Rashid0's answers. Thank you all for sharing. 🙂

It is really interesting to hear as you grew up in the countryside Gerry, I did too and I agree there is a certain excitement about going to a city - I like the difference in architecture and you can get to the end of a day of wandering and realise you have walked about 20 miles! 🙂  

[Rashid2]

@Lizzie @Mariann4 @Clare0 @Kirstie 

Little late, but here is the link for Uzbek dish- Osh Palov. I would advise add pomegranates on the plate at the end when you serve the dish (instead of garlic), and little more raisins. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZYU5auIM_0

[Rachael26]

@Rashid2 !

Well thank you so much for posting your now famous plov dish! I look forward to viewing the youtube (is it you cooking?) and I hope you will contribute to the Airbnb Around the World with 80 Hosts - Favourite Recipes & Treats for Guests... in the making as we speak.

Cheers and Best Wishes.

Rachael

So double quick in edit time - just watched the 20 min video - how fabulous - and how it reminds me of my favourite London Curry House dish - Biriani.... but 3 BULBS of garlic? Kazam! I had to go back to check it wasn't 3 cloves.... ha! So Rashid, you recommend the pomegranate seeds (which are so pretty as well as scrummy) but surely not instead of the garlic bulbs? Now gissus a kiss after all that garlic!

[Rashid2]

Hi Rachel, usulally they do use garlik for the plov, but not everyone. So i dont use garlic at all, instead i do use pomegranates seeds when I serve the dish. Make sure that the pomegranates are sweet not sour. (its not me in video 🙂 

[Dieneke0]

Wow @Rashid2 thank you so much for this very clear video. Can't wait to have a good look at it.

Thanks

Dieneke

[Hilary-And-Ed0]

Thank you for this spotlight.  I have not been a member of the community long, but I have noticed that Gerry and Rashid's comments are always spot on.  People can get a bit riled up on this forum, and  Gerry and Rashid's comments are always level headed and full of common sense.

Thank you for bringing your expertise to the forum.  I know when I see a post from you that it will be worth reading, and that I will likely learn something new!

[Lizzie]

Lovely comment @Hilary-And-Ed0. It is great to have you here in the CC. 🙂

[Andrea724]

Great post!