Tag Archives: commentary

cooking, health, news-commentary

What a waste

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283: Nature's colors

Last night, I watched The Big Waste on the Food Network. If you get a chance to see it in the next week (it airs again on Jan. 14th… check listings!), take the time to stop and watch.

Sure, its another timed cooking challenge between four chefs (Bobby Flay and Michael Symon versus Anne Burrell and Alex Guarnaschelli) that Food Network seems to thrive on these days. But this special is not about the challenge itself, its a staggering look at how much food we waste in this country every day.

I watched the show with a knot in my stomach, watching perfectly good food being just thrown out because of a blemish here or there. A box full of fresh fish on its way to the dumpster because the people that ordered it no longer needed it. Sweet corn ignored because the stalks got knocked over in high winds. Perfectly good, fresh, healthy food destined to just be thrown out with the garbage.

The show has made me rethink my shopping. I am not going to buy anything that will make me sick or that will go bad before I can eat it (that’s throwing money away), but if I can curb the waste by, say, purchasing a ripe tomato to use on my salad tonight (versus letting it sit there and ultimately be thrown out) then I am going to do that. It’s at least a step in the right direction.

Meanwhile, I hope perhaps some of the food that would normally go in the trash will eventually make its way to shelters. The homeless need a healthy meal, too. Why not donate the “unsellable” fruits and vegetables to a kitchen or shelter? I hope this show might start a push for that as well.

I had no idea what to expect when I sat down to watch “The Big Waste,” but I am sure glad I took the time to watch it. I learned a lot, and I felt ashamed of wasting food myself. I am going to make changes starting now.

general-post

Forgiveness

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I noticed a couple days ago on BlogHer that it was “Global Forgiveness Day.”

According to the post:

This tradition of forgiveness began in 1994 with a simple downtown banner in Victoria, British Columbia proclaiming July 7th as “National Forgiveness Day.” As the tradition took hold and began to spread, it became evident that the act of forgiveness need not be confined to one nation. One planet? Yes, that seemed more fitting….so the tradition was renamed “Global Forgiveness Day” and here we are. (Post by Heather Clisby)

Since the day I read that post, I’ve chewed on the topic in moments of silence. Is there forgiveness I’ve failed to give? I’ll be honest, there is. Interestingly, though, most of the “grudges” I’ve held are ones for wrongs done to people I love and care about. I get angry for others faster than angry for myself. Things I could hold a grudge about with me personally, I tend to be able to forgive… though I rarely forget, choosing instead to learn from the past.

In forgiving others, a forgotten forgiveness that one must give, is forgiveness to self.

For example, I have a very loud conscience, and any time to do something wrong — to others or just in general — it screams at me. It nags at me. And I find myself needing to forgive myself and admit I am not perfect, either. Mistakes happen, and until I forgive myself, how can I ask or expect others to forgive me? I must grant forgiveness and learn from the event.

Granting forgiveness frees your soul. It lightens your load… especially when that forgiveness includes forgiveness of self along with forgiveness of others. Life is too short to hold a grudge and be tied to a negative time or event in your life.

I’ll work on it more with those “grudges” I still hold.  And perhaps someone out there who reads this will find forgiveness in their heart as well.