From Trash to Table

Illustrations by Caitlyn Murphy for The Globe and Mail

God incarnate. There is a 'ligious term we don't utter often. it refers to Jesus with us, in the flesh, as a human being. When we read the gospels Jesus eats, as humans are wont to do. When and where did he eat? Sometimes with "the wrong crowd" according to the Holier Than Thous. He was accused of being  a glutton and partial to the vino.

We are also told that there was a general purse for Jesus and the disciples, with Judas as the treasurer, which may have been used for food. And a timely prayer multiplied some loaves and fishes.

Still, there must have been lots of occasions when Jesus and the lads had to forage for food in orchards and fields along the way. There was no Farmer Brown with a shotgun, but were there times when they were challenged for grabbing a handful of grapes or grain? I'm thinking that in the first century there was very little food wasted.

I've noticed lately that there has been a lot of attention given to what really is the sin of wasted food. We're told that approximately half of produce in the United States ends up being discarded, in large part because we've developed notions of perfection, as well as hyper-caution. During a recent CBC Radio phone-in on food waste a truck driver called to say that he had just taken a full tractor trailer load of name-brand frozen meals to the landfill because they were past the warehouse "best before" date, which is not the same as the later grocer "best before." They were perfectly good but just hadn't been sent to retailers on time.

Efforts are being made to change this. Grocery chains are now offering "ugly" fruit and veggies so that produce is not discarded. Of course farmers' market vendors have been selling "just as I am" produce for years. There are now laws in provinces and states to protect those who contribute food for redistribution.

A new food-ordering app that allows people to buy meals that are about to be discarded by restaurants has been developed. Feedback was co-founded by cousins Josh and Ben Walters,  and allows users to browse "time-specific deals from Toronto's best restaurants" and purchase meals at up to 80 per cent off the original price. Both restauranteurs and diners win on this one. feedbackapp.ca




















On Thanksgiving weekend there was an inspiring Globe and Mail article called From Trash to Table by Ann Hui about Chef Karen Barnaby who is using her skills to create meals from "below seconds" produce for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. 
https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/food-waste-trash-to-table/article36510212/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&

The meal ministry chefs for Bridge St. UC do this, often gathering a team in hours to process vegetables brought to the church from Gleaners Food Bank and other sources. They are cooked and frozen and used in recipes at a later date.

I pray that the sin of waste in our society of disposal will continue to be addressed through a change in attitude about the gift of food.

Thoughts? Bon appetite!