While doing some early spring cleaning today, I threw out a coffee can with a handful of beans left inside. They were stale, and there wasn't enough left to brew more than a cup or two.
Seconds later, I pulled the beans back out of the garbage. The thought that had occurred between the toss and the rescue was this, "What would the people who worked hard to grow and harvest that coffee say if they saw me throw into the trash?" This act seemed a careless insult to those who have labored to produce the beans that not only sustain my caffeine addiction but give me great pleasure each and every morning.
My guilt was exacerbated because I had also thrown out a bowl of uncooked black beans that had sat in my refrigerator for so long, they fell apart when I soaked them. And, I had just purged an old bottle of cheap red vermouth, some moldy cheese, a withered lemon, a piece of hardened pita bread, and half a dozen jars of expired, partially used condiments.
I was feeling wasteful and ashamed. I always experience a hint of these emotions when I clean out my fridge, but this morning, they were particularly nagging.
And why? Well, it wasn't just the insult to someone else's hard work; it was that certain nauseous guilt about being irresponsible.
Because, here's the thing.
I just read The Hunger Games.
(I might as well own it... I do enjoy a good dose of teen lit every once in awhile.)
The Hunger Games' protagonist Katniss Everdeen lives in a world where most citizens struggle through hunger and poverty to produce food and resources for the wealthy. There were a few scenes in the book that really stuck with me.
In one, Katniss surveys a meal she is served in the affluent Capitol. She silently calculates that it would take days of hunting, gathering and trading to try and recreate what would be a poor substitute for the lunch in front of her. Catching her expression, her companion, the stylist Cinna, says simply, "How despicable we must seem to you."
I'm still thinking about that!
Oh sure, I don't have gourmet lunches appearing before me on a table that rises out of the floor, but compared to many I would be considered a wealthy citizen of the world. I have disposable income, access to healthcare, and a savings account. I live in New York where wonderful food is plentiful, and I can afford to eat it. And so, it seems a crime to waste any of it considering there are many who struggle to feed themselves and their families.
The solution for my distress is twofold: 1) buy less and eat it sooner and 2) contribute to organizations that are addressing these types of problems.
I've decided to donate a set amount each month to a different organization that supports better food practices. A link to the organization will appear in the upper right corner of the blog. This month, I've contributed to City Harvest because they "rescue" excess food from restaurants, grocers, and other sources and deliver it to community food programs that feed hungry New Yorkers.
This is a great service. My post-consumer waste is trivial compared to the pre-consumer excess of unused food. The Food Network recently aired The Big Waste in which celebrity chefs were challenged to create a gourmet meal from food on its way to the trash bins. I have only seen the online clips, but even these are enlightening.
I should clarify I'm not making an apples to apples comparison between our food landscape and the world in the Hunger Games. Suzanne Collin's well-crafted story was one of several influencers that reminded me it's time for me to step up my game, so to speak.
Oh, and... after watching Katniss keep herself alive during the Hunger Games, another disturbing thought has been lingering. If I had to hunt and gather for myself it's likely I would starve, or eat the wrong berries. I might just have to take up archery and knife-throwing and learn how to forage and skin a rabbit. I should probably also increase my cardio so I could run for my life if I had to!
Seconds later, I pulled the beans back out of the garbage. The thought that had occurred between the toss and the rescue was this, "What would the people who worked hard to grow and harvest that coffee say if they saw me throw into the trash?" This act seemed a careless insult to those who have labored to produce the beans that not only sustain my caffeine addiction but give me great pleasure each and every morning.
My guilt was exacerbated because I had also thrown out a bowl of uncooked black beans that had sat in my refrigerator for so long, they fell apart when I soaked them. And, I had just purged an old bottle of cheap red vermouth, some moldy cheese, a withered lemon, a piece of hardened pita bread, and half a dozen jars of expired, partially used condiments.
I was feeling wasteful and ashamed. I always experience a hint of these emotions when I clean out my fridge, but this morning, they were particularly nagging.
And why? Well, it wasn't just the insult to someone else's hard work; it was that certain nauseous guilt about being irresponsible.
Because, here's the thing.
I just read The Hunger Games.
(I might as well own it... I do enjoy a good dose of teen lit every once in awhile.)
The Hunger Games' protagonist Katniss Everdeen lives in a world where most citizens struggle through hunger and poverty to produce food and resources for the wealthy. There were a few scenes in the book that really stuck with me.
In one, Katniss surveys a meal she is served in the affluent Capitol. She silently calculates that it would take days of hunting, gathering and trading to try and recreate what would be a poor substitute for the lunch in front of her. Catching her expression, her companion, the stylist Cinna, says simply, "How despicable we must seem to you."
I'm still thinking about that!
Oh sure, I don't have gourmet lunches appearing before me on a table that rises out of the floor, but compared to many I would be considered a wealthy citizen of the world. I have disposable income, access to healthcare, and a savings account. I live in New York where wonderful food is plentiful, and I can afford to eat it. And so, it seems a crime to waste any of it considering there are many who struggle to feed themselves and their families.
The solution for my distress is twofold: 1) buy less and eat it sooner and 2) contribute to organizations that are addressing these types of problems.
I've decided to donate a set amount each month to a different organization that supports better food practices. A link to the organization will appear in the upper right corner of the blog. This month, I've contributed to City Harvest because they "rescue" excess food from restaurants, grocers, and other sources and deliver it to community food programs that feed hungry New Yorkers.
This is a great service. My post-consumer waste is trivial compared to the pre-consumer excess of unused food. The Food Network recently aired The Big Waste in which celebrity chefs were challenged to create a gourmet meal from food on its way to the trash bins. I have only seen the online clips, but even these are enlightening.
I should clarify I'm not making an apples to apples comparison between our food landscape and the world in the Hunger Games. Suzanne Collin's well-crafted story was one of several influencers that reminded me it's time for me to step up my game, so to speak.
Oh, and... after watching Katniss keep herself alive during the Hunger Games, another disturbing thought has been lingering. If I had to hunt and gather for myself it's likely I would starve, or eat the wrong berries. I might just have to take up archery and knife-throwing and learn how to forage and skin a rabbit. I should probably also increase my cardio so I could run for my life if I had to!
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