food waste

Every week I talk about food waste.  Why?  Other than it’s so cool and fun?  In the hope that it will make me aware of how much food (and money) I’m throwing away when something gets tossed in the garbage and not eaten.

Americans waste more than 40 percent of the food we produce for consumption. That comes at an annual cost of more than $100 billion.    via Wasted Food

Kristen, over at The Frugal Girl started documenting her food waste in March 2008, added pictures and then challenged her readers to join the fight.  Don’t be a Grouch, keep it out of the can.

I know this cream cheese looks pretty tasty but want you can’t see is a fine mist of mold over much of the top.  And yes, I do know that mold on cheese is not that big a deal.  On hard cheese I do tend to cut it off but this is whipped and I tend to be somewhat cautious with what I eat while breastfeeding Baby S.  And I would care about Toddler L too, especially as this cream cheese what bought for him.  But after the first two crackers he decided he didn’t want any more.

In fact, the last time he had it was while driving to Portland.  I had just bought the tub when I realized we were leaving town in a couple of days.  So I packed it in a cooler and took it on the road.  Crackers and cheese should be a good car snack, not too messy.

Toddler L had a cracker smeared and asked for another.  A few minutes later here’s the scene;

Toddler L, from the back seat: “Crackerhead.”

I turn and look.

Toddler L, nicely strapped into his car seat: “cracker…where’d it go?…where’d it go?”

My darling child has taken his cracker, using the cream cheese as glue and stuck it to his forhead.

After smearing it through his hair.

Why?

I have no flippin’ idea.

Toddler L has a look of nonchalance on his face and doesn’t seem at all concerned that my eyes are tearing up as I try to hold in the laughter.  I can’t afford to encourage this behaviour, who knows where he would take it from here.

But alas, that was the end of his interest in cream cheese.