Just Eat It
One of the perks of being unemployed is the ability to make your own schedule. Yesterday after a morning shopping session with Matt, (Lululemon's holiday party was last night and dress was formal. Needless to say, a suit wasn't high on the priority list for items to pack in the luggage we brought with us on the plane. However, apparently cufflinks were...) I decided to go to a matinee. A documentary that was a double-prize winning film at Vancouver's International Film Festival piqued my interest.
It was showing at the Vancity Theatre which just so happens to be right down the street from our 'hotel'. I was one of maybe 15 that went to the 1:30pm showing and had my choice of premium seating. Most of the rest of the viewers were students, and I was even mistaken as one at the concession counter. I guess I can still pass as a university student (inner smile).
Just Eat It is a documentary about food waste. It follows a couple who decide to live off of wasted or culled food items for six months. The only caveat is that they're allowed to accept food from friends and family. Otherwise, they resort to dumpster diving and other creative ways of finding discarded food. The irony is that the guy actually ends up gaining weight during the project, due to the fact that they're eating whatever is available and he finds himself overeating when they have a good haul. Overall, they ate well and were even able to give some of their bounty to others because they couldn't eat it all.
What was eye opening for me was to learn about all of the waste that occurs throughout the entire food production process. We've become so removed from the process that it's hard to imagine and fathom the scale of waste. So it was interesting to see how celery hearts are produced and the shear amount of waste that is a result of the process. We never put any thought into what happens to the ugly carrots or bruised tomatoes or the misshapen nectarine. Many times it doesn't even make it to the grocery store, but if it does and no one buys it, it's most likely going in the dumpster. Then all of the resources that went into producing it is wasted.
After watching the film it's clear to me that our food production system is broken, and not just in one place. There are small disconnects between various facets of the system which makes it hard to put a finger on the issues and even harder to find a solution.
One of the reasons that I was so interested in seeing this film is because of our recent move. We had a fridge, freezer and pantry full of food items that when it came down to it we had to get rid of. We were able to give some away and I composted a lot of it, but some of it ended up in the garbage. People's fridges, pantries and freezers were already full, or the items we had weren't desirable and in some cases past their 'best by' dates. All throughout the process I felt guilty (just like when I would compost or throw out leftovers that didn't get eaten). Thinking of the people in the world who would gladly eat what I no longer wanted or valued as food.
Sadly, there isn't an easy fix to this global problem. It's another one of those large scale issues (like recycling or CO2 emissions) that will get solved through individual, small changes. For my part, I will be more conscious about the food that I bring into our home. Make sure that I will eat it and can eat it before it goes bad. I will try not to buy more than I need and be better about choosing foods that I like to eat.
Watch the trailer:
It was showing at the Vancity Theatre which just so happens to be right down the street from our 'hotel'. I was one of maybe 15 that went to the 1:30pm showing and had my choice of premium seating. Most of the rest of the viewers were students, and I was even mistaken as one at the concession counter. I guess I can still pass as a university student (inner smile).
Just Eat It is a documentary about food waste. It follows a couple who decide to live off of wasted or culled food items for six months. The only caveat is that they're allowed to accept food from friends and family. Otherwise, they resort to dumpster diving and other creative ways of finding discarded food. The irony is that the guy actually ends up gaining weight during the project, due to the fact that they're eating whatever is available and he finds himself overeating when they have a good haul. Overall, they ate well and were even able to give some of their bounty to others because they couldn't eat it all.
What was eye opening for me was to learn about all of the waste that occurs throughout the entire food production process. We've become so removed from the process that it's hard to imagine and fathom the scale of waste. So it was interesting to see how celery hearts are produced and the shear amount of waste that is a result of the process. We never put any thought into what happens to the ugly carrots or bruised tomatoes or the misshapen nectarine. Many times it doesn't even make it to the grocery store, but if it does and no one buys it, it's most likely going in the dumpster. Then all of the resources that went into producing it is wasted.
After watching the film it's clear to me that our food production system is broken, and not just in one place. There are small disconnects between various facets of the system which makes it hard to put a finger on the issues and even harder to find a solution.
One of the reasons that I was so interested in seeing this film is because of our recent move. We had a fridge, freezer and pantry full of food items that when it came down to it we had to get rid of. We were able to give some away and I composted a lot of it, but some of it ended up in the garbage. People's fridges, pantries and freezers were already full, or the items we had weren't desirable and in some cases past their 'best by' dates. All throughout the process I felt guilty (just like when I would compost or throw out leftovers that didn't get eaten). Thinking of the people in the world who would gladly eat what I no longer wanted or valued as food.
Sadly, there isn't an easy fix to this global problem. It's another one of those large scale issues (like recycling or CO2 emissions) that will get solved through individual, small changes. For my part, I will be more conscious about the food that I bring into our home. Make sure that I will eat it and can eat it before it goes bad. I will try not to buy more than I need and be better about choosing foods that I like to eat.
Watch the trailer:
