CONVERSATION STARTER: To cook or not to cook…that is the question.
In the Editor’s Letter of the February issue of canvas magazine, I ponder whether it’s more eco-friendly and perhaps inexpensive to cook from scratch or order take-out. The fact is, home cooking often requires many ingredients that add up to a chunk of change and a considerable pile of trash. Just think of all those wrappers our food is usually sold in. Between the packaged goods, dairy items, and even produce—which often comes wrapped in typical supermarkets—we end up disposing of an incredible amount of garbage over the course of a day, not to mention a week or year for that matter. And that’s just for cooking!
Being a self-proclaimed foodie, cooking happens to be one of my favorite activities, and homemade foods are usually much tastier (and healthier) than store-bought or take-out, so I probably won’t change this aspect of my lifestyle. Yet since it’s just me and my husband (and our dog, who I don’t actually cook for—though my niece does for hers, but that’s another story altogether), it’s difficult to buy in bulk unless we’re entertaining. That means lots of wrappers resulting from each individual ingredient when I cook. Each night, as the trash bin fills up higher and higher, I feel more and more guilty about how much I’m adding to the landfill. Of course, we recycle to the full extent that our town accepts, but there is still plenty of refuse that currently cannot be recycled.
I have to resign myself to the fact there is no easy solution for this dilemma, though now that I think about it, there is one practice I should finally adopt: Composting. Looking back, it’s hard to believe, after nearly two decades of encouraging people to compost in various publications, that I haven’t actually done so myself. Who, more than me—former editor of two national gardening magazines and websites, not to mention umpteen books on the subject—better understands the benefits of composting? Compost not only reduces the amount of trash being added to the landfill, it also generates what we gardeners refer to as “black gold,” the crème de la crème of soil enhancers, adding nutrients and aeration for healthy plants. There are many wonderful composting bins on the market, so it’s about time I make the leap by ordering one and doing my part to reduce refuse while helping naturally boost the soil in my garden.
You heard it first: I vow to begin composting starting immediately. But as for the rest of the garbage problem, I’m interested to know what practices you suggest to help limit what ends up in the landfill. Also, we’d love to hear your thoughts on whether it might be more responsible to cook, discarding many wrappers from several ingredients, or purchase take-out, since restaurants likely buy more ingredients in bulk than we do for home use. Please take this opportunity to join the conversation, and add your comments below.
—Diana Murphy, canvas Editor in Chief
3 comments
Diana,
you bring up a great topic for conversation, and as a full time working mom & wife, the issue of what to have for dinner is a main topic in our househould. Many nights our dinner (minus the 18 month old- he eats at the babysitters– and will usually take a bite or two with us, if he’s in the mood) is around 7pm or later… Our ETA at home on most week nights is 6:15/6:30pm- so the thought of starting a meal from scratch seems overwhelming. Especially, when we only have about an hour before putting Jake to sleep– time wanted to be spent with the kids.
That said– we often turn to take out/ordering in or “easy food”, ie: frozen pizza, hot dogs (soy dogs for me), burgers, etc. Albeit, organic– still not a real home cooked meal. Now a thought to ponder and consider– as your blog makes me wonder– are there Take Out restaurants that are eco and sustainable living conscious as well as healthy, using good ingredients and products? Hmmm. A win win all around… a new mission for me to look into. Thanks!
I think if you are thinking in the terms of what is best for your health, your family, and the world in general, home-cooking is best. If you shop for fresh produce the amount of waste you generate is significantly lower than buying frozen or canned. Cooking in larger quanitities and storing extra food is one way around cooking on a small scale. And let’s face it, if you get take-out or delivery you are driving or having it driven to you. So cooking at home is more eco-friendly. I also feel that eating on real plates is better than using disposable. If I do use disposable I make sure that my products are paper (no plastic or styrofoam).
And lastly, I think that home-cooking is better for the soul (or spirit). Nothing brings a family together than a meal prepared by love and shared while connecting from the busy outside world. When you are looking to make the world better, start with the one in your heart.
Diana, Great post. There is another reason that I think its important to cook at home: the attention and care given to the food. I can’t speak for anyone but myself but I know that when I am preparing my own food, I feel like it almost always tastes as good or better than take out. I really believe it has something to do with the energy, attention, care, love and consciousness that goes into the preparation, especially when we are preparing food for those love the most. So, for me personally I will always be a home cooker, an occasional taker outer and stay aware and mindful of the amount of packaging when I make my purchases.
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