Written in August 2009
I just ate a bowl of soup..
As I ate, I watched my son prepare a tray of meat he's making into beef jerky.
My office is my kitchen, so I'm therefore surrounded by food. It's pervasive in my house... but also in our country, it's common to have plenty of food to eat.
Even for the less fortunate around us, there is usually plenty to eat, whether it's through food supplement programs such as SNAP (formerly the food stamp assistance program) - or through food pantries.
Its strange that in our nation of plenty, there are those who are starving...so starving that they must eat cast off food.
And I'm not sure what's worse, the fact that there are people so hungry, or that there are people who actually prefer eating this way.
SIDE RANT: The Freegan movement consists of people who survive almost exclusively from what the rest of us consider garbage.
Google FREEGANS and you'll find a wealth of information on it.
Now being cynical, I can't help but think that if these people can afford a computer and can take the time to set up accounts in forums, they probably could find some money to purchase food. SO, what is the purpose of this?
Is it some kind of stupidity to prove how much they identify with an ecologically sound form of post-consumer consumption?
Are they pointing out the gross wastefulness of our society?
Are they making a statement? Somehow pointing out how individual and unique they are, by doing what everyone else in their clique is doing?
I mean honestly, do these people think that the guy pulling open trash bags behind Publix or Meijers or Food Lion is thinking, "oh I can't wait to get home and google some blog to tell me how to cook up this incredible Arugula and Portabella mushroom I found (I'll just wipe off the slime).":SIDE RANT OVER
Let's get real, okay?
There is an epidemic of waste in our country that is so pervasive and disgusting it pains me to think about it for too long (And don't even get me started on so-called "Competitive Eating Contests" - there aren't words for how repulsive that is to me).
A perfect example (just to point out that I'm not above it) the other day, I picked almost 10 pounds of radishes from my garden. We ate a lot of them, but the rest languished in the refridgerator until I threw them away.
I talk big about preserving food and not wasting, but they turned to garbage.
Waste like that is a luxury we really can't afford, and I'm trying to do better.
In the very near future, I fully expect to see shortages of food in our country, like those we've been witnessing in less developed nations for the last half century.
In Haiti, they're eating mud for Christ's sake! MUD.
We're only at the tip of the iceberg here. Just the recent increases in food prices at grocery stores have had a negative effect on the common consumer.
I'm of the opinion that farmers aren't compensated appropriately for their efforts, but at the same time, I'm a mom with 3 kids on a budget and spending an extra 50 - 60 dollars on the same (or less) groceries every week really makes a huge dent in the budget.
I grow my own food to supplement what I buy. I buy bulk and bake from scratch (more from the fact that I hate processed food than cost savings). I prefer to spend my money locally and I shop at neighborhood stores and shops which tends to cost more, but leaves me feeling better - especially knowing my money isn't enriching any mega corporations (cough:walmart:cough).
And still, I don't think I'm doing enough to provide for my family. I'm making a concerted effort to try and save and stockpile what I can while it's still relatively cheap. Call me a doomer I guess, but I don't see a downside here...if it comes down to being considered a whack-job, or seeing my children go hungry, I guess you know what my decision is going to be.
It's strange and unsettling to try and imagine how you would feel if you were suddenly reduced to hanging around behind the Hannaford waiting for closing time to pick up whatever they throw away.
Unfortunately, I think it's entirely plausible that you, or I, or people in our near acquaintance could indeed be thrust into that scenario.
Maybe I ought to download some portabella/arugula recipes...
As I ate, I watched my son prepare a tray of meat he's making into beef jerky.
My office is my kitchen, so I'm therefore surrounded by food. It's pervasive in my house... but also in our country, it's common to have plenty of food to eat.
Even for the less fortunate around us, there is usually plenty to eat, whether it's through food supplement programs such as SNAP (formerly the food stamp assistance program) - or through food pantries.
Its strange that in our nation of plenty, there are those who are starving...so starving that they must eat cast off food.
And I'm not sure what's worse, the fact that there are people so hungry, or that there are people who actually prefer eating this way.
SIDE RANT: The Freegan movement consists of people who survive almost exclusively from what the rest of us consider garbage.
Google FREEGANS and you'll find a wealth of information on it.
Now being cynical, I can't help but think that if these people can afford a computer and can take the time to set up accounts in forums, they probably could find some money to purchase food. SO, what is the purpose of this?
Is it some kind of stupidity to prove how much they identify with an ecologically sound form of post-consumer consumption?
Are they pointing out the gross wastefulness of our society?
Are they making a statement? Somehow pointing out how individual and unique they are, by doing what everyone else in their clique is doing?
I mean honestly, do these people think that the guy pulling open trash bags behind Publix or Meijers or Food Lion is thinking, "oh I can't wait to get home and google some blog to tell me how to cook up this incredible Arugula and Portabella mushroom I found (I'll just wipe off the slime).":SIDE RANT OVER
Let's get real, okay?
There is an epidemic of waste in our country that is so pervasive and disgusting it pains me to think about it for too long (And don't even get me started on so-called "Competitive Eating Contests" - there aren't words for how repulsive that is to me).
A perfect example (just to point out that I'm not above it) the other day, I picked almost 10 pounds of radishes from my garden. We ate a lot of them, but the rest languished in the refridgerator until I threw them away.
I talk big about preserving food and not wasting, but they turned to garbage.
Waste like that is a luxury we really can't afford, and I'm trying to do better.
In the very near future, I fully expect to see shortages of food in our country, like those we've been witnessing in less developed nations for the last half century.
In Haiti, they're eating mud for Christ's sake! MUD.
We're only at the tip of the iceberg here. Just the recent increases in food prices at grocery stores have had a negative effect on the common consumer.
I'm of the opinion that farmers aren't compensated appropriately for their efforts, but at the same time, I'm a mom with 3 kids on a budget and spending an extra 50 - 60 dollars on the same (or less) groceries every week really makes a huge dent in the budget.
I grow my own food to supplement what I buy. I buy bulk and bake from scratch (more from the fact that I hate processed food than cost savings). I prefer to spend my money locally and I shop at neighborhood stores and shops which tends to cost more, but leaves me feeling better - especially knowing my money isn't enriching any mega corporations (cough:walmart:cough).
And still, I don't think I'm doing enough to provide for my family. I'm making a concerted effort to try and save and stockpile what I can while it's still relatively cheap. Call me a doomer I guess, but I don't see a downside here...if it comes down to being considered a whack-job, or seeing my children go hungry, I guess you know what my decision is going to be.
It's strange and unsettling to try and imagine how you would feel if you were suddenly reduced to hanging around behind the Hannaford waiting for closing time to pick up whatever they throw away.
Unfortunately, I think it's entirely plausible that you, or I, or people in our near acquaintance could indeed be thrust into that scenario.
Maybe I ought to download some portabella/arugula recipes...
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