Food wastage is a crime punishable by law in my home, and it's something I don't tolerate due to my upbringing. My mom, who happens to be a disciplinary officer, doesn't take the crime of food waste lightly, and the consequences of wasting food are always severe, whether it was done intentionally or not.
I remembered my first attempt at cooking beans to impress my mom. Honestly, I put my heart into the making of this food, but guess what? I fumbled, the end result of the meal was a disaster.
A part of me kept telling me that I was in a deep shit while another part of me gave me the confidence that mom wouldn't punish me since I was trying to impress her. She should at least be happy that her son is trying to learn, but I was wrong.
Mom was really mad at me, and I had two options: eat the beans no matter how long it would take or throw the beans away and starve for three days. Starving wasn't an option, so I pleaded with my siblings to join me in the horrible adventure of eating the terrible beans I prepared.
I was raised to understand that food is sacred and must be treated with so much importance. The discipline I had with food as a kid registered properly in my head, and even as an adult, I don't appreciate it when people waste food, whether it's mine or not. Many times, I have taken it up to educate people about food waste because it's a normal thing for some people to do.
Someone once asked me if he bought the food with my money just because I cautioned him about his food wasting habit, and I felt really disappointed because there are millions of people across the world who don't have a hope of what to eat today, and here is someone feeling okay wasting food all because he didn't borrow money to buy the food.
Only if a lot of people knew the consequences of wasting food beyond just losing money, they will probably sit tight and do the needful to prevent food from wasting. Food is a global resource, and it's terrible to put it to waste when the food supply across the world isn't even balanced. Think of the impact of wasting food on the ecosystem; what about pollution? There are lots of disadvantages attached to food wasting, and it's an act people need to stop globally.
I can't remember the last time we had leftover food in my home, and that's because of my upbringing. Growing up, we had measurement cups at home for cooking, and they were very helpful. When cooking for two or more, we always know the quantity to cook and we don't exceed it. We prefer not getting filled than allowing excess that would end up wasting.
Today, I still make use of the measuring cups, even though there are advanced ways of measuring food items. I feel cool with the old style, and it's always accurate, probably because I am used to it, so measuring food items properly before cooking helps avoid food waste.
There are times when appetite drops below the quantity of food prepared, then I share because that's better than wasting. My neighbors know me very well for that, and it's become a kind of habit in my compound.
A lot of people know how much I enjoy recycling and upcycling items. I don't know if it's right to use the word for cooking, but I do that a lot of times. Let's take yam for instance; whenever I have extra after cooking, it automatically determines my next meal. I can convert it into porridge, soup, or even add another food like beans to just make it different from just having yam and sauce.
Converting food leftovers into something new just to prevent it from wasting is a good thing. I have been doing this for a while now, and it makes me feel good that at least there is no waste.
Vegetables are quick to go to waste, so I don't buy what I can use for more than two days, and the good thing about this is that there is a veggie/fruit market very close to me. I can just take a stroll there whenever I need something, so it's better than buying excessively.
Refrigerating vegetables sounds really cool, but not for me. I love getting them fresh and using them fresh as well. The taste, flavor, aroma, and satisfaction are always different, even though a lot of people say they're the same.
At the moment, I am working on growing my veggies, and hopefully, I can just pluck whatever I need from my garden instead of buying it all the time.
Preventing food from wasting is normal, not because I am trying to save money or anything else. Why allow things to go to waste when they can be reused or given out to someone who really needs them? Like I mentioned earlier, food is sacred, and one of my ways of showing respect is ensuring I don't allow it to go to waste.
The quantity of food that goes to waste globally every day is outrageous, and I hope a lot of people start seeing the need to manage, preserve, and do whatever they can to prevent food from wasting. Today, we have it in abundance, but we can't tell what tomorrow will look like, not just for us as individuals but for the world as a whole.
Image are mine