Monthly Archives: January 2010

Friday Buffet

In case you were wondering, here’s what Almeda County, i.e. Oakland, thinks about food scrap recycling — — According to this piece from Australia, one-third of Queensland bananas are graded out because they don’t meet supermarkets’ specifications. Crikey! Words of wisdom, from Australia’s head banana man: “I think perhaps years ago when most Australians had […]

January 8, 2010 | Posted in Composting, Friday Buffet, General, International, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Morrisons Mission

The other day, I came across this fascinating Food Waste Factbook from Morrisonswhile researching British supermarkets’ response to food waste for my book. After reading through the handbook, I was impressed by the retail chain’s commitment to reducing waste in their stores. Heck, just putting out a 15-page document would put them atop the heap amongst American grocers. They even have […]

January 6, 2010 | Posted in International, Supermarket | Comments closed

Going Gratis

Imagine a life without any spending. Is it even possible? Apparently it is if you live in Britain, where squatters have some rights. I found this piece about living for free in London totally engrossing. The article comments on the disposable nature of British, and really Western, society. And of course, a big part of that is food. The author, Katharine Hibbert […]

January 4, 2010 | Posted in Freegan, International, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Hoppin’ into 2010

Black-eyed peas are thought to be good luck, which might explain the band’s success. It definitely explains why the legumes are eaten through the South on New Year’s Day. One theory–the one found on Wikipedia–posits that the tradition dates back to the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and that Sephardic Jews brought the tradition with them […]

January 1, 2010 | Posted in History and Culture, Household, Personal | Comments closed