This is Chip’s fourth entry in the series “Grist dared me to make a change.” Read the first, second, third, and fifth here. And support his dare with a gift to Grist.
Take-out lentil soup smells really good … at first. Courtest of LA OC Foodventures via FlickrThe bag is about half-full and now it’s starting to smell.
Yesterday, keeping the family peace took priority over reducing our waste, and today you can really tell. Jenny had an errand to run, and we were too busy to make dinner at home, so we got take-out and ate outside at a picnic table. Again with the take-out! I’m a disgrace.
Normally, we are fairly prepared for such trying moments. We keep plastic utensils in the glove compartment of the car, and we bring containers and cups with us when we get prepared food. This time, we forgot. I don’t want to blame anyone or point any fingers, so I’ll just say we forgot and leave it at that. (And maybe I’ll let Jenny carry around this stinky bag for a couple of hours this weekend.)
Back in college, when it was just me, I probably would have punished myself by not eating in a case like this. You can’t do that with kids. You have to feed them.
I got pad thai, and it came in this waxy container that can’t be recycled or composted. The kids got lentil soup. There’s still a little muck left in their soup containers, and it really stinks.
Come to think of it, the soup containers might be compostable here in Seattle. They aren’t on Vashon Island, where I live. Well! How about that? An unexpected advantage to commuting with your garbage.
But, man, it really smells. It’s embarrassing. Help me save face by making a donation to Grist.
