A quote from John Updike taken from TIME 6/5/2006:
And waste, the American waste. I find myself very disturbed lately by the fact that restaurants give you more than any sane person would want to eat, and food is packaged in bigger and bigger containers now so that you try to buy a mere quart of ginger ale and you have to buy a gallon of it that won't fit in the refrigerator. I'm very aware, almost for the first time in my life, of consumerism, being a dupe of consumerism.
I have to agree 100% with Updike. It is slowly dawning on me that my role as an American consumer is not a small one. How much to do I buy? How much do I throw away? How much could have been spared?
I think about it particularly as it concerns food. Growing up, the bigger the portion, the more I liked it. But now restaurants serve such huge portions, Snowman and I find ourselves often sharing entrees (and, naturally, being charged a plate-sharing fee). I hate throwing food away, but I also don't like being told how much I'm supposed to eat. It's a very difficult thing to reverse the mentality of reckless consumerism, but I am trying. I feel like it is vitally important to be respectful of my place on Earth, the footprints that I leave behind, the physical remnants of my existence. I would like for it to be as minimal as possible.
6 comments:
Yes, but that's the magic of Leftovers!
We could absolutely solve the issue of world hunger if all that Americans disposed of could be magically beamed to the starving humans out there. Have you ever seen how much a bakery or a restaurant throws out? They often can't give it to homeless shelters because of lawsuits. Oy vey.
I love leftovers, but let's not kid ourselves about how much food we all throw away.
Can you believe it? Lawsuits to help feed homeless people? How ludicrous we've become.
I love my boss, but almost every week she orders so many groceries - more than she, her family and any visitors will ever eat; I have to throw out food that has gone bad without even being opened to make room for the new. It's SUCH a waste.
Wanna save and not waste? Never buy trash bags- in most places people get enough shopping bags at liquor stores, grocery stores and drugstores to line their wastebaskets forever (and pick up all their puppy poop, as the case may be)!
Also, reusing tin foil and Ziplock bags easier than most imagine. And if you make a mistake printing something at home or work, save the paper for scrap/telephone messages. Worried about lawsuits at shelters? Worried you won’t finish those leftovers? Take them out of the restaurant and offer them to someone on the street or a hungry neighbor. Another tip for saving water? Don’t rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher (if you have one); studies prove, unless something really needs soaking/scrubbing, rinsing does not improve the likelihood of the cup or plate getting clean in the dishwasher. Compacting trash is good too- you don’t need a fancy machine to do it- your boot works quite nicely. =)
MXF, I think you are very good at conserving; you OFTEN give away things rather than tossing them, which is not only considerate of the planet, but also of your needy friends. =) Thanks!
I will be having another giveaway at the end of the summer!
Though, it's funny, you're almost always guaranteed tiny portions at a fancy upscale restaurant!
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