Pondering

I've commented before that more or less every single week, while I'm watching my purchases chug along the mega-mart conveyor belt, I mentally check off those items I'd live (happily) without if I didn't have any money. I am well aware that many purchases are not necessary, and frankly not really all that smart.

This blog is my newest obsession. Read his posts from July and August of this year. He is a trained chef in San Francisco and for two months, he lived on a food stamp budget. More or less, he was allowed roughly $3.66 per day for his food. He did allow for gifts of food from friends/family, and since he is in the food industry, he frequently benefited from cooking gigs. He decided that people who actually live on food stamps also accept gifts of food and those who are working in kitchens benefit similarly.

Even still, he found that he had to cut down on the amount of food he consumed. He also realized how lucky he was that he had access to his garden for supplemental veggies.

The blog has sparked some interesting conversations in our household. I'm all too aware that I waste too much food. And, despite my complaints about the high costs of food, I still buy too many "convenience" items or empty calorie items. And, sadly, I think that my ability to purchase organic, locally produced, high quality items is a manifestation of privilege.

I think we're going to have to put more thought and effort into being more purposeful in our eating/purchasing.