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Re:
I hope that's true, mariss! Sometimes certain people need to have something taken away from them in order to appreciate it more. I'll bet that if those same people who do waste a lot of food were forced to live for a spell in one of those "third world" countries, they would gladly gobble up those leftover casseroles and Brussels sprouts once they were back home! 
posted by
JimmyA
on February 24, 2013 at 9:57 AM
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Life in this world is never really fair. Some have nothing and some waste extravagantly. When we are eating space bars with nutrients the lavish may regret what they wasted.
posted by
mariss9
on February 23, 2013 at 9:11 AM
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Re:
I hope not, C C T. I know our cats don't mind the occasional "table scrap," a piece of cheese here or a morsel of pasta there. But my wife and I are usually the same way. Sometimes we'll cook up something that we know we can split into two meals, and absolutely nothing is wasted at either sitting. "Clean your plate" is our mantra! 
posted by
JimmyA
on February 20, 2013 at 2:55 AM
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Well Jimmy we hardly get any leftovers our lunch or dinner as we once called it is always methodically eaten to the last small potato. We have boxes for food waste , but I have never used it and anyway the birds will eat the odd stale slice of bread. Of course in the old days the pets ate the leftovers, but even they turn up their noses I expect.
posted by
C_C_T
on February 19, 2013 at 11:14 PM
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Re:
I'm not sure, TAPS, what you may be referring to as far as your kitchen is concerned, but something tells me you're probably not the kind who wastes food in any way, shape or form! Just like many others feel, there's nothing wrong with leftovers, is there?
posted by
JimmyA
on February 19, 2013 at 1:19 PM
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That's very possible, lustor. Their heart may be in the right place donating that food, but, as you say, if someone got sick . . . ! Still, there should be ways to regulate that kind of thing to see if it is possible to not waste so much food!
posted by
JimmyA
on February 19, 2013 at 1:14 PM
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Good post. Sure makes me consider what goes on day after day in my kitchen.
posted by
TAPS.
on February 19, 2013 at 10:29 AM
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What about the food the grocery stores throw out every day, there is food there that is perfectly fine but for some reason they throw it out instead of donate it to the poor, must be some regulations about that in fear people will get sick and sue
posted by
Lanetay
on February 19, 2013 at 8:40 AM
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There ya go, lion! Saving money on food to have money for wine . . . I find nothing wrong with that, as long as no food is ever wasted! In fact, some food tastes better with that accompanying glass of wine! And I think I would consider you frugal, not miserly . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on February 19, 2013 at 7:27 AM
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Re: JimmyA
Neither do my wife or I, Wiley. We have a nice supply of Tupperware products in a myriad of shapes and sizes, and there's absolutely nothing that can't be saved and re-eaten a few days later! And on that rare occasion when, say, a few slices of bread are "past their prime," well, the critters in our backyard benefit from that!
posted by
JimmyA
on February 19, 2013 at 7:25 AM
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Re: we really are wasteful, have always had way more than our share
Yes we do, Kabu. Probably the thing that drives me and my wife the craziest is that it doesn't have to be this way. Remember that saying "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach?" That's what many people suffer from, and they forget a saying my dad ingrained into us growing up: "Take what you want, but eat what you take!" Relatively simple, and it doesn't waste any food! What happened to those days . . . ?
posted by
JimmyA
on February 19, 2013 at 7:22 AM
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It really doesn't, sam. And you're right about the leftovers. I have found that especially true with any pasta dishes. The longer they "ferment" in their sauces, the better they seem to taste! Nothing wrong with leftovers!
posted by
JimmyA
on February 19, 2013 at 7:20 AM
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Re: Jimmy
Great idea, Justi. There are so many relatively simplistic things people can do to keep from throwing any food away, but I suppose much of it stems from both laziness, and their upbringing. There are unfortunately many people who don't think twice about throwing food away, and they need to be reeducated! Kudos to you and George for thinking the way you do! There's absolutely nothing wrong with frozen dinners and brown-bag lunches!
posted by
JimmyA
on February 19, 2013 at 7:18 AM
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Re:
You're quite welcome, lovelylady. And yes, I agree. I can have sympathy and compassion for anyone in the world who is suffering from starvation, but, as you say, we have people going to bed hungry each night in our own country, and we really should be doing something to help these people first! You can look in the garbage can of my wife and my kitchen any time you'd like, and you will never find a spec of food in there! We have no problem with leftovers either!
posted by
JimmyA
on February 19, 2013 at 7:14 AM
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Re: Jimmy
Good "food" for thought, Naut. Yeah, my parents tried the same statements on me and my siblings to get us to eat, and of course as a child you simply didn't understand. And even though you used an obscure and relatively unpopular vegetable to make your point, I'll bet there are people in India or any number of other countries who would gladly take your left-over spinach!
posted by
JimmyA
on February 19, 2013 at 7:10 AM
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Thanks, FSI. A second Earth? I would think that, with all I've read and seen on waste in this country, we may need a second, third and fourth Earth! Whatever it takes to curtail this behavior, we'd better start doing it soon . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on February 19, 2013 at 7:07 AM
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Re:
That's probably very true, adnohr. I'll bet that, if you were to take these people's food away for any length of time, not only would they finish everything on their plates when returned to them, but they may even eat the plate too! Some people just don't appreciate what they've got! 
posted by
JimmyA
on February 19, 2013 at 7:05 AM
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I am far too miserly to throw food away. Money spent on replacing wasted food is money I can't spend on essentials (such as wine)
posted by
lionreign
on February 19, 2013 at 4:00 AM
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JimmyA
Great post my friend, and I think with just the two of us we don't waste food at all.
posted by
WileyJohn
on February 18, 2013 at 8:29 PM
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we really are wasteful, have always had way more than our share
good post my friend. We need to be reminded and to say a thank you for all we have and yes be a bit more careful.
posted by
Kabu
on February 18, 2013 at 8:22 PM
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I am with you on this one! I have found that some leftover actually taste better the second time around! Waste is so sad especially when it doesn't have to be that way! sam
posted by
sam444
on February 18, 2013 at 7:20 PM
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Jimmy
I agree. Actually I was startled to learn this. While Naut's mom was taking care of India my mom was calling out for the children in China. In all truth we were taking care of our family. There is so much to do with it. I make meals and freeze them daily. George takes lunches and I am home so I have a homemade frozen dinner instead of one bought at the grocer. This is a shame. It is terrible on so many fronts, in the land fills, leaving many hungry and just the plain waste. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I share with my friends a lot and they with me. We call and ask if they have done dinner and tell them we have enough for both of us, it is a great help often.
posted by
Justi
on February 18, 2013 at 3:52 PM
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Jimmy,
I know exactly how you feel. Not only have we become a shameless, blameless society in regards to technology and the way it enables us to shirk our bad behaviour off on everyone else, but...
We have become a nation of ungrateful, thankless wasters. I most of the time love leftovers! Margaret and I eat them all the time. We hate to waste food and do our best not to do so.
I believe I saw the segment on the family you are referring to, and it made me angry, too. Not only because as you say, we are poluting the earth when we create such needless waste, but also because...
There are so many hungry people. Not just in other coutries, but here in the states too. Now, I'm all for feeding people in need, no matter where in the world we come from, but I have to say it makes me furious that our own goverment seems to pay more attention to the people suffering in other nations than in our own. I believe this is getting better, but there's still a long, long way to go.
Another good post. Thanks for making us think!
posted by
lovelyladymonk
on February 18, 2013 at 2:35 PM
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Jimmy
I totally agree with you: the way we, collectively, waste food and other things is staggering and shameful.
We have two refrigerators in our house, and both my LSW and I are very careful with leftovers, wasting virtually nothing. In my case, that habit dates back to the times my Mom would say, “Think of the hungry people inIndia!”, or whatever the hungry part of the world was on that day.
But even as a kid I wondered how I could ship my left-over spinach to India, and I still do...
posted by
Nautikos
on February 18, 2013 at 12:20 PM
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A great post if I may say so myself...I think I remember reading somewhere that if every nation wasted like the United States (not just in food but in water, electric, plastics, etc.) we would need a second earth...
posted by
FormerStudentIntern
on February 18, 2013 at 9:31 AM
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I totally agree with you, JimmyA! People who throw food away have probably never gone hungry for lack of money to buy some more.
posted by
adnohr
on February 18, 2013 at 8:10 AM
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