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Eyes bigger than my stomach

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September 14, 2004

I was at a wedding this weekend. Everyone was beautiful and the weather was awesome. But it's funny how people remember how great the food was at an event, or how bad the food was, almost more than they remember what happened at the event. I still can't believe how much food there was! Listen to what we had for dinner: bread sticks, with three different kinds of butter, a cup of strawberry soup, a small salad, the standard chicken, beef, fish or vegetarian meal and the wedding cake with ice cream.

That's a lot of food, especially for me. I'm lucky if I ever eat half of my meal, never mind four courses. Now let's talk about how much food I left behind: I ate half a bread stick, with no butter, I finished my soup, I ate one third of the salad, one fifth of my chicken dinner and I ate all of my ice cream and a couple bites of my cake. I know that I'm not the only one who didn't eat all that was on my plate either. The girl to the left of me left more food than I did. I must say it was saddening to see how much food got taken off the tables to be thrown away.

Whenever I go out to eat I try and share a meal. It's really not because I can't afford, or don't want to pay for, a whole meal, I just won't eat it. And really, I don't want to pay for a full meal when I know I'm only going to eat a third of it. I know what you're thinking, 'Sarah, they have doggie bags for a reason'. Well that's true, but I don't eat leftover food as often as I take it home. You know what happens, I bring it home, it takes up space, turns into a science experiment and then I toss it. The end result is wasted money and more garbage.

I hate the storage leftover food. They don't give it to you in Tupperware that's going to keep your food fresh. It's usually in Styrofoam, which is wasteful anyway, and then my food is soggy and my fridge smells. Maybe I should bring my own Tupperware out with me.

Next time you make or buy a meal, take a look at how much of your meal you actually eat. Preventing food waste in the first place is always the best bet.

Please continue to send me your comments and thoughts on how to prevent waste. You can send letters or questions by email to swojcoski@sacomaine.org or via the Courier. Please specify whether it is okay to include your name if your idea or letter is reprinted in the column.