I have been very curious about the food choices we make and the impact that our food chain has on our environment.
One of the downsides of this pandemic has been the increase in take out. Everything comes in styrofoam or plastic containers. When I was a kid my grandparents kept every single container. It was a way for them to send us home with food. Obviously the solution here is to just eat out less and make my own food. I struggle between wanting to support my local businesses and generating an unreasonable amount of waste. The more I look into this, the more I realize that every step I take to be more “sustainable” leads to this exhausting push and pull of morality. It shouldn’t be this hard!
So, I found a decent compromise. I support my local businesses by buying stuff in bulk where I can. I might go to the local banh mi shop and buy a tub of pate and baguettes rather than one sandwich or I buy a big container of salad dressing from my favorite restaurant. I’m still able to give them money but I’m using less single serve containers. And for the containers that I do get, I try to reuse them a few times. I’ve been really great about batch cooking and bringing food to my pregnant friend.
I did have to give up Starbucks for the time being. Their “push” to generate less trash is literally just removing the need for a straw. It’s a fair step but I do really miss being able to bring my own cup. (This is completely irrelevant to whether or not they provide fair trade coffee… that’s a whole other level of sustainability I am just not ready for yet)
Chop Tsui 