loving leftovers

May 23, 2009 at 10:04 AM
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I have lived in plenty and less so: about 2 years ago i became a " food pantry" user as a primary means of feeding a large family. This is a far different way of living than what is the norm in america, the way I have always known.

I learned to cook from my mother and grandmother, a treasure like no other. My mother is a gifted and passionate food person, cook and hospitable as well. If you told me today that 100 dignitaries were coming to my home, i could serve a fine and delicious meal with ease, no recipie to read. With mom i made pierogoes (yes, polish/ yum) hand rolled dough, golumpki (meat and rice stuffed cabbage in a tasty tomato based broth), baked goods finer than all bakeries, creamy mashed potatoes, all the how to's from folding batter to frying - which pans and oils are best.....i could go on and on and write books and books. My german grandma also grew some of her own herbs and veggies, hence my knowledge of fresh herbs and canning.

As a young married (20 yrs old), I steeped myself in additional know how that would please my new husband. The church women and pot lucks, the must have book: Joy of Cooking, some fancy tips from the chefs i worked with while waitressing us through school, added all the more to my cooking skills. Knowing that my heritage was not as healthy as others i taught myself how to take all that i knew and make it healthy for my family, never throw the baby out with the bathwater, you know. Having learned the most through the meal making for 16 years of married life, kids and many parties... I had a system like most women in america, a fine one, not here to talk anything down.

1.Plan specific meals for the week or so, meals that your family likes and is healthy. maybe read for new recipies.2. go out an find needed ingredients. 3.cook. nothing bad at all. truly. duh.

Here is what I want- go get it.

Life changes, lest we become barnacled to things that will inhibit our growth, and a couple years ago i began using and working in a food pantry that we now call a Food Share. I have yet learned a whole new way of cooking and living.

Here is what I have been given-what can i make of it?

The food share is "garbage" or leftovers-items that stores are going to throw away. We pick up bags of unsorted non sellable foods, one day away from expire date or damaged in some way. Good foods, meats-produce-dairy-breads-cereals. We sort through mushy bananas and throw away moldy and make due with mushy. It is amazing what we throw away here in the suburbs. Bruised fruit or dented boxes make items into garbage. High costs dont help, i dont suppose i would pay $4 for a smashed tiny container of berries.

We who use the food share have traded grocery shopping for 'donation picking'. We create from what has been given. We make use of what no one else wants, leftovers.

It breeds gratefulness-

It challenges creativity-

It is sustainable living-

It is adventurous-

It connects us with the way most of the world eats,

and maybe the way we were created to be-

It brings us back to a correct definition of food-

It brings us back to a correct definition of sharing & community-

It removes us from american marketing-

It relieves us from the excessive buffet of choices we must sort through

It teaches us what we DONT need

It make us learn to like new foods-