Dumpster diving

I just finsihed reading an article on-line about people who dumpster dive for food, it literally made my stomache queezy reading about this young lady who eats only from dumpsters (by choice) she has a job, and lives comfortably. She even feeds her dog human garbage scraps
The only grocery items she said she buys fresh are butter and milk.
To Each Their Own!

FYI....Here's the story: For frugalists, bargain hunting is a lifestyle - Extreme Consumerism - MSNBC.com



And today: there on the daily headlines are 2 articles:
1) on Salmonella poisioning from fresh tomatoes bought and eaten out West
2) TB from infected dairy products in California.

Your initial reaction is understandable, Cathy. But that's because you're thinking of a dumpster as a container holding things like restaurant waste and household trash.

Those types usually are "owned" by homeless folks, who not only stake a claim, they often eat better than we do.

But think about what goes into a supermarket's dumpsters. By and large it is what, in the Navy, we called "clean dirt." For instance, as the Rebecca in the story found, there's a bag of rice on a shelf that gets torn open. The store cannot sell it, so it goes in the dumpster. But, objectively, there is nothing inherently wrong with that rice. It is no different than what you buy in the store, except that the bag there hasn't got a corner torn.

Now multiply that out exponentially, and you'll have some grasp of the tons of perfectly good food (and other products) that get tossed into the dumpsters.

The one that bugs me the most are the trimmings from produce. By law, in Kentucky, the market can not save them for gardeners to use as compost. So all that great organic material (much of which, by the way, is perfectly edible) goes to the landfill.

One of my tests of all the nouvoux-green folks who have suddenly discovered the world is asking them how much recycled food they use. Mostly you just get a dirty look. Apparently, their green consciousness doesn't extend to that.

Another one: How many nouvous-green families have given up Pampers in exchange for cloth diapers? Not very many as it turns out.

So, it seems, we are out to save the world---until our own ox gets gored.

Thanks for the interesting approach of looking at this objectively.

You made an excellent point in referencing the disposable diapers, much to my disdain no one and I mean literally no one I know today uses cloth - that is all I ever used! For me it was a cost factor, the only time I would use disposable was for a vacation. Back then it never crossed my mind that pampers were not earth friendly.

My main thing in reading this article is, of-course healthy and sanitary foods. I can certainly see a torn bag as no biggie, but sandwiches thrown out that weren't purchased and are still a little warm have maybe sat how long unpurchased in a warmer??! Well.......you know.... food is only bacteria free for a certain length of time. And as "Catholic" as I am about not wasting food I follow sanitary guidelines for food safety.

But anyhow....I find the whole idea well.......with mixed emotions.

You risk your life eating deli foods anyway. Many deli sandwiches, etc. are made from what ever is on its last leg. Ditto for chickens that are spinning and other hot meats. Stores don't waste.

As far as ripped rice bags - sorry - I wouldn't want it. I don't purchase bent cans, ripped bags, etc. I would go without first.

Reminds me of those buying cut up watermelons - after the rats in the store bit into them and it was cut off, cut up, wrapped and sold.

I could go on and on and on -

Sorry - spent too many years in the food industry.....................

My youngest is 35 years old, and I still buy cloth diapers.

The reason: Don't spread it around, or everyone will know it, but diapers actually make the best kitchen towels going. They are very absorbent, of course. And their hard surface make them ideal for wiping knives and similar chores.

Now, if we could just get them to make them without all that sizing in 'em, we could even skip the first washing.

At the local Stewarts here, a manager told me once that when they find a cracked egg in a carton, they now have to throw out all of the eggs in that carton. To me, that is just plain stupid and a serious waste of food. An egg comes built in with its own packaging.

As for ripped bags and dented cans, I have never once had a problem with a dented can. Honestly, I do not know what the problem is with them. If a can loses it seal, you will know about it pretty quick.

Jeff, everybody gets set in their ways about certain things. When you get to be as old as me and Mama, there are a lot of those things. Dented cans is one of them.

She and I go back (I won't say how far) to the days when cans were made out of tinplate (i.e., light steel coated with tin), that had no linings or protective sealents as cans do nowadays. And they had side-seams, that were sealed by solder.

A dented can was likely a leaker even though it didn't necessarily show as such. So was to be avoided. "Leaking" doesn't mean the contents were coming out. It means air (and, thus, pathogens) was able to get in. Most of the time, like 99%, if the seal integrity was damaged it was along the side-seam.

Like Mama, I still avoid dented cans---even though I know, on an intellectual basis, that the contents are fine. Modern cans do not have side-seams (or bottom seams, for that matter). So there's really not much a few minor dents can do to predudice integrity. But, nontheless......

I guess that answers my question on that. I remember once when I was working at a restaurant, the health inspector came and my boss made me rush to the store room with a magic marker and write "Dented Can" on all cans that were dented. I just thought it was strange.

Speaking of diapers - cloth diapers are great cleaning rags and do wonders on windows. As far as today's kitchen towels go - they are no good. Non-absorbent. they don't dry a thing. They collect grease and they won't release it.

I prefer my flour sack towels - not much to look at - but a good size and they do a decent job. All those pretty towels are just that - and it doesn't matter how much you spend on them - they are not made to last. The sides rip easily and they look like crap.

One of these days I am going to order a whole bolt of material and make a bunch of towels the sizes that I want. I'm sick of paying high prices for lousy quality.

But a good thing about the flour sack towels I have - they are lintless and great for covering yeast doughs!

KY - remember the days of the guys impressing the girls with the smashing of a beer can on their forheads? Try it with today's cans - you cut yourself up. I don't drink anything out of a can - I don't like the aluminum taste and what aluminum does to the body. But then again - just how safe is the plastic anyway? Give me the good old fashioned glass quart and 16-oz. bottles! Can't even find milk in bottles anymore where I am. And I hate the plastic bottles! No more waxed cartons either - times have changed.

Canned goods - the cans are getting thinner and cheaper. And I don't like the sodium.

I can as much as I'm able of what I use. Better that way.

oh - the wonderful old memories - give me the good ol' days...........

It's all a matter of perspective, of course.

Like you, Mama, I much prefer the old-timey stuff. Indeed, Friend Wife and I are reenactors, and live as much in the 18th century as in this one.

When my mother was alive she used to laugh at the idea. "The good old days are right now," she'd insist. And she'd probably roll over in her grave if she knew what I paid for an antique jelly cabinent almost the twim to one she'd thrown away. And then spent even more money to refinish it.

I'm definately with you on the towel thing. And I keep threatening the same thing, because there is nobody making lint-free towels in the size I want.

In the bathroom, maybe. But for anywhere else, the man who invented terrycloth needs to be taken out behind the barn.

BTW, flour in larger sizes (i.e., 25-lb, 50-lb) now comes in plastic sacks, just like animal feed. Something has really gone out of the world when you can't even recycle a flour sack.

Smashing beer cans was one thing. Even more impressive were the guys who could "open" a beer can just by squeezing it in one hand. For you young whippersnappers, you have to understand that the cans were 1. made of steel, and 2. there were no such things as pull tabs. Squeeze it right and the can literally exploded. Squeeze it wrong and you were just a whimp.

And does anyone know why a punch-style can opener is called a church key?

"cloth diapers are great cleaning rags and do wonders on windows."

Especially with a little plain white vinegar.

But, frankly, newspapers and vinegar do just as good a job.

Jafo232 said:

At the local Stewarts here, a manager told me once that when they find a cracked egg in a carton, they now have to throw out all of the eggs in that carton. To me, that is just plain stupid and a serious waste of food. An egg comes built in with its own packaging.

As for ripped bags and dented cans, I have never once had a problem with a dented can. Honestly, I do not know what the problem is with them. If a can loses it seal, you will know about it pretty quick.

Click to expand...

Jeff, I would be making friends with that manager real fast

Wouldn't do any good, Cathy, as in most jurisdictions it is illegal to even give the stuff away (hey! I'm from the gubmint. I'm here to help you.). Otherwise they could at least share it with food banks and homeless shelters.

I agree 100 % about sharing with Food Banks!
In the part of AL where I used to live, there were stores and bakeries that did donate to Ecumenical Services and so the food was given to the elderly, needy and such.
Govt. laws aren't adhered to in good ole' Alabama as much as "God-given" common sence!

OK KYH I give up why is it called a "Church Key"?

Remember the "P-38" can opener that the military issued to it's enlisted men to open rations with? My fiance still uses his every day, keeps it on his key chain and prefers it! I loved canned rations as a kid, the MRE's they use these days are absoltuely NOTHING in comparison, but I do understand why they went to them!

Cathy I don't know why it's called a church key. That's why I asked.

Found the answer here: Churchkey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Elementary my Dear Watson"

Hmmmmmm? Did you read the article, Cathy? Seems to me it took a couple of pages to say what I said in a two-word phrase, to wit: I dunno.

yes I read it and I just picked the version I liked the best mainly the monks, but you are right-no knows for sure

Nothing like a good mystery my "Dear Watson" - get it?

I for one prefer flour to come in plastic, I just wish they did it here. This all of course happened after my Indian Meal Moth outbreak..

You know Jafo, with the way dry ingredients like flour & corn meal and such get moths, worms and weavils you would think that this day in age they would go to plastic.