Pope Francis came out and lambasted the developed nations for wasting food, stating that it was equivalent to stealing from the poor. Basically, he was saying, "Are you going to finish that? Think of all the starving children in India."
And while he didn't mention any nations by name as prime food-wasters, it was pretty clear he was talking about the you-ess-ay. And he's got a point.
The other night Nancy and I were in an authentic Italian restaurant, which I know it was authentic because there was a picture of Frank Sinatra on the wall, and Dean Martin was on the stereo. I ordered spaghetti and meatballs. (Yes, I know, but it's what I felt like, dammit, and by the way, I think this kind of food snobbery is part of what Francis was on about. You don't see a starving person say, "Egg foo yung, phooey! I want authentic Chinese!") Anyway, after I ordered, the waiter asked me what I wanted for my "tomorrow pasta." I was nonplussed. I had been pretty plussed up to then, but now I was nonplussed. The waiter explained that in addition to the ample serving I would get as my entree, I was entitled to a whole other entree to take home for tomorrow. Taken aback, but not displeased, I asked for the lasagna.
Good Lord, what is this country coming to? Restaurants have discovered they can't increase their already massive serving sizes, so they're starting to fudge over into the next meal. As it happens, we took home two containers because Nancy didn't finish all her picata either. Now in fairness, this food will not go to waste, but still... how much of it there is!
When we remodeled many and many a year ago we replaced our old crappy white refrigerator with a brand-new stainless steel crappy refrigerator. We did not throw away our old one, however. It's still in the basement, filled with food. Beside it is a chest freezer, filled with food. When my daughters went to college, they each got a mini-fridge. We still have those, too. They are filled with diet sodas. This in addition to a pantry brimming with non-perishables.
Ye gods. I can only hope the pope doesn't drop by unexpectedly, how would we be able to justify such excess. In our defense, I can say Nancy and I are conscientious about not wasting food. Still, even the stuff we deem fit only for the dog - neck and back bones from a roasted chicken - would make a main course in many parts of the world.
I don't know quite what to do here, because I am certainly not going to abandon my lifestyle of comfort and plenty. I take a sip of coffee and ponder. It's good coffee: ground fresh this morning from beans flown in from Columbia. In the freezer downstairs I have another bag from Kenya and one from Sumatra.
