International Food Day

Today is International Food Day, and the #BAD11 (Blogger Action Day 2011) has chosen this topic as the theme. I didn't actually sign up to participate, but I was always one of those strange students who enjoyed writing essays, so I figure, "Why not?" Maybe I can sign up after the fact?!

There are so many options that fall into my geekoliscious sensibilities, when it comes to food. I am a foodie, actually ... love exploring new restaurants, new tastes and new dishes. I was thinking I'd write on a favorite dish or restaurant, or maybe on the politics of food. That would tie in my political geekiness, too.

I don't know if you will call this political, but I decided to go with a something that hit me last night. I was watching TV with my sweetie and an ad came on for a program whose entire topic appears to be throwing pumpkins, smashing them, or watching them explode. Suddenly, it struck me how insane this was. We have so much food in this country that we not only throw a ton away, but we actively destroy food as entertainment.

This bothered me, though I recognize that this is hardly the only time I've seen food wasted on TV. I sat and thought about it, and I realize that whether it is on tv or not, pumpkin tossing is something that has become a popular pasttime in certain circles. Beyond that, we carve pumpkins all the time, not eating them (except for possibly the seeds). Pumpkins may have caught my attention, but I throw out bad food every time I clean the fridge. At other times, I go out to eat and don't bring home a "doggie bag." I am just as guilty as anyone.

So, it is one thing to make a list of ways food has been wasted, but it is much more productive to come up with ways to minimize that waste. The saying is that you have to be the change you want to see in the world. So, I went searching the interwebs, and here are some tips I found to get me thinking about food waste differently:

* Planet Green had some ideas to get me started: 5 Ways to Cut back on Food Waste

* OrganizeIT is a UK site and their starter list is definitely doable, in my opinion.

* NPR has tips from an Anthropologist who says that Americans waste almost *half* the food we grow!

So, I now have plenty of ideas to get me started. An added benefit to this is that, if I am successful, I should have more change in my pocket, too. Maybe, I can save enough for that MacBook Air that keeps calling my name ...