Tis’ the season for eatin’– and ditching an inordinate amount of leftover food once all of our guests have gone home for the evening. Depending on the household, certain party hosts may even choose to heave-ho the remnants of their buffet in front of guests, with nary a “Would you like to take this home?” or “Do you know anyone who’d appreciate this?” mentioned out loud. Now and again, I have mustered the inner strength (and dare I say ‘guts’) to ask wasteful hosts why, oh WHY are they doing what they’re doing?? Once the initial horror of my inquiry subsides, I’ve gotten such far-ranging responses as a shrug of the shoulders and a “What-Planet-Are-You-From?” ‘look’ to brief comments such as: “I normally don’t like to eat this kinda stuff – gotta watch my weight!” and the tried-and-true: “I don’t want to eat anything once it’s been sitting out for hours.”
I am one of those odd birds who learned early on that I could diligently wrap almost every single scrap of food remaining post-party, and barring any interested takers, I could successfully preserve most (if not all) of the edibles via freezer for a rainy day. Imagine that — perfectly delicious leftover food, made by me, saved by me and ultimately consumed by me on a future date (oh, the surprise element of it all!). Which begs the question — why is such a simple concept so foreign to so many Americans? Are we THAT spoiled? Are we TOO GOOD to eat the same meal two or three days in a row? Doesn’t it occur to us that we are LUCKY to actually have so much food that we dare to dispose of it at all?
The statistics regarding our nation’s penchant for pitching unwanted food (unveiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) are embarrassing, to say the least. According to the EPA’s website: “Food leftovers are the single-largest component of the waste stream by weight in the United States. Americans throw away more than 25 percent of our prepared food, about 96 billion pounds of food waste each year (and we) spend about 1 billion dollars each year to dispose of it.” Specifically during the holiday season, it is estimated that we actually generate 25% more food waste than normal. That’s a lot of goodies in the garbage.
As with all green actions, there is a viable alternative. The seemingly vicious cycle of food consumption and thoughtless disposal can be adjusted, and even eliminated by incorporating one or many of the following tips into your holiday routine:
- Whether you are preparing a grand buffet or a modest potluck meal, reduce the size of your recipe! Less food = less waste.
- Once guests are sufficiently stuffed with your edible offerings, stow the leftovers promptly in your refrigerator! When everyone goes home, take the time to pre-portion food into freezer-safe containers.
- Give old leftovers a new life – transform those scalloped potatoes into an egg frittata for tomorrow morning’s breakfast or mix your leftover broccoli into Friday’s pasta dinner. Rinse and repeat.
- Get into the habit of offering unwanted food to clearly interested guests. When their eyes light up upon being questioned, they are most likely excited about the prospect of getting a few free meals!
- Get into the habit of composting food leftovers not fit for human consumption. There are countless resources online that show you how to make your own affordable and yet thoroughly effective composting bin.
Though we are all blessed with an abundance and diversity of food in the U.S., it is our job as respectful and enlightened citizens of planet Earth to actively conserve our resources and take the steps necessary to ensure that our luck doesn’t run out.
Print This Post
