It’s dinnertime at the house at 140 W. Gilman St., where people troop into the dining room to serve themselves from giant pots of sticky rice and veggies in some sort of yellow sauce. No one seems quite sure what they are eating, but that does not stop them from filling their plates.
As more people arrive, the conversations and laughter become almost deafening.
….Housing co-ops can be traced back to the 1800s, but many in Madison originated during the 1960s and ’70s, when students and community members sought greater control over their living situations.