Appreci-EAT What You Have

Apart from obvious differences like eating food from dumpsters and eating food that some people wouldn’t even think of eating, I realized recently that my eating style had another distinct difference from most people.

A few days ago, I was hanging with some friends. They thought about a meal they wanted to make (black bean burgers), checked to see if they had the ingredients (they had just a few), and then went to the store to buy the majority of the ingredients.

In that moment, it became clear to me. While a lot of people first think of what they want to eat, I first think of what I already have in my fridge and cabinets. After assessing what I have, I try to assemble the tastiest and healthiest meal possible. If I can’t make a filling and healthy meal, only then will I go out and get more food (preferably finding it before buying it).

I always knew my eating style was different from others, but the extremely obvious difference of eating food that I found in the trash blinded me from this subtle, yet important distinction. While many people prioritize eating what they want, I prioritize eating what I have. This is a key pillar of freeganism.

If I were to prioritize eating what I want to eat, it would be a surefire way to waste food. By grabbing new ingredients, older ingredients stay in the fridge for longer and risk expiration.

My friends already had so much food in their fridge. It was obvious to me that they would watch some of it go to waste if they did not eat it quickly enough. While the black bean burgers I’m sure were great, they increased their risk for throwing out food they already had.

To clearly illustrate the difference, here it is broken down in steps.

My Freegan Process

1. Continually be searching for food, dumpster diving, etc.
2. Check to see what ingredients I have.
3. Think about what I am can create what I have, focusing on taste and nutrition.
4. Make food and find food, dumpster dive, or go to the store only if I need to.

Typical Process

1. Go to the grocery store and think about roughly what meals you will eat for the next week or two and shop accordingly*
2. Follow that plan but also think about what you are in the mood to eat (will vary by person)
3. Check to see what ingredients you have
4. Go to the store to get whatever is missing
5. Make food

*Of course, the better you follow the meal plan in step 1, the less waste you’ll have.

When I prepare a meal, I don’t prioritize what I am in the mood for. I really dislike going out of my way to buy groceries when I already have food in the fridge. I can’t stomach the thought of wasting that food. Throwing away food is so painful to me, environmentally and financially.

I think it’s likely a spectrum. Most people flutter between making meals from what they have vs. making a meal from what they want. I just happen to be on the far end of the spectrum. I always think about the food that I have and try to create a meal from it, even if it ends up being an unusual combination. Sometimes I eat the same meal several days in a row, like chard tacos.

For my friends who made the black bean burgers, I wondered at what point does the money lost from the food going to waste outweigh the satisfaction from a tasty meal that you were craving. I think we all have different sensitivities and priorities.

Eating a delicious meal no doubt brings appreciation. We all know how good a flavorful bite of food can be. And I do have tasty meals. I think most of my meals end up being really good. I love good food.

However, creating a meal from what I already have brings appreciation in a different way. There is an appreciation for not letting the food I have go to waste and for saving money on groceries. It feels great to have as little of an impact on the environment as possible, just as it feels great to save as much money as possible.

A deeper appreciation comes from valuing and maximizing what I have. “I’m so happy I was able to make something tasty from what I had.” “I’m so thankful we were able to put together these random ingredients to create this beautifully haphazard, yet tasty, mushroom and onion vegan pizza.”

Instead of thinking about what would be nice to have, I value more what I already do have. This way of thinking is contagious and permeates into other areas of my life. I think more about the people in my life and the things I have, and how much I value them. Appreciation is the essence of freeganism.

-Freddy