I went to the collective house

and there's a lot I like about it, but I think deep down it's a no.
I will think about this.  Sleep on it.

I had a tour, and had dinner with the housemates.  They eat dinner together every night, that's part of the community-ness of the house.  Otherwise they do their own thing. The housemates are four men, two women at the moment.  One man is moving out.  Dinner was pasta (rice pasta) and a homemade tomato sauce with beans in it.  There was also some 'braised cabbage' I think they called it, which I liked a lot better than I thought I would.  It was apparently a big deal to have pasta, a processed food! They all cleaned their plates, and I mean clean.  I was having a hard time with the beans- I'm a picky eater and I have a strong gag reflex, so when I don't like something, I really have to force myself to eat it.
I did finish everything on my plate, except for a bay leaf, which I left, and it looked conspicuous next to the other absolutely scraped clean plates.
I ate very slowly, I always do.  I was pretty quiet, taking it all in.  They did ask me questions about my work, why I wanted to live there, and where I live now.  Didn't particularly want to discuss the current living situation, but it is relevant, and they were all very respectful about it.
After dinner they all went into this cleaning routine, everyone had a job, and very quickly had the kitchen spotless.  I was asked to sweep.  Then everyone separated and I stayed with Sam, while she washed some 'scavenged' food found in the grocery store dumpster.  Most of it looked pretty good after she cleaned it.

So, I say I care about the environment.  But what do I do really, other than avoid disposable coffee cups?  These people are buying local, organic food (in bulk), and rescuing food from the dumpster and growing their own in a garden.  The house was a little dark because they only turn the lights on when they need it.  The floor lamp isn't even plugged in until the evening (because electronics draw power if they're plugged in, even if they're turned off)  They put a bucket in the shower with them and save the 'gray water' to flush the toilet with.  That is to say, they don't flush with every use.  If it's yellow, let it mellow...

The pros:  I liked everyone.  I liked the location of the house.  The living room was really welcoming, with art on the walls.  The whole house was neat and clean, except for a few bedrooms.  I like sharing the cooking and eating together.

The maybes:  I actually think I wouldn't mind the toilet system.  And that there's no TV.  Even, maybe, not sure, the 'salvaged food'

The cons:  I'd have a really small room. It could probably fit a bed, and one other thing.  My bookcase, my computer?  I'd have no space to make art, which means I'd have to rent a studio or come back to Mom's.  My dog definitely can't even come visit, and that's maybe a bigger deal than I realized at first.  And I am not really a cat person.

The deal breaker:  Food.  It might just be food.  I had a hard time eating the dinner tonight.  If eating together is a big deal, if wasting food is a big no-no, then me getting through a dinner I don't like is going to be pure torture and socially awkward.  And does peanut butter count as a processed food?  Can I learn to like goat's milk yogurt?

I think living there would be good for me in a lot of ways, but it would be a huge learning curve, and I might be adopting values to go along with the group, rather than because I really share them.  It's certainly eye-opening to see how other people live, and how far I'm really willing to go, what comforts and conveniences I'm willing to give up....

Sam and I did have a chat after the dinner about the unspoken rules of the house.  Are people comfortable with nudity or are they private with their bodies? (They are private.)  What happens if someone is depressed or having a crisis?  Do the other housemates get involved?  (They are just starting to discuss this.  Apparently everyone's been generally stable the past four years.)

I was dying to ask, but didn't: do people have, uh, overnight visitors?  I'm assuming that all six housemates are not celibate.  They did mention the house carried sound, and that there was once a couple of guests in the guest room who were...very very audible one night.
Because one of the biggest cons about living with Mom is that Walrus and I were never able to be alone, and this might not be an improvement.  If I'm ever to have sex, I really don't need 5 housemates listening.