Thanksgiving Thoughts

So he laid out a nice simple picnic lunch.
There was nothing but pie.
But there were all nine kinds of pie that Harold liked best.
When Harold finished his picnic there was quite a lot left.
He hated to see so much delicious pie go to waste
                                                         from Harold and the Purple Crayon
                                                                          by Crockett Johnson
       Thursday’s Thanksgiving. I’m not making a picnic lunch, it will be an inside dinner, with cloth napkins and not-plastic dishes and flatware. I will not have nine kinds of pie, just three. I’m not planning on having anything go to waste, but inevitably, I’m sure it will happen.
       I heard a story on NPR recently about how much food we throw away. If I remember, it’s about one fourth of what we buy. Then, I thought about the grocery stores and all the restaurants. I know some of that food is donated to shelters and soup kitchens, but really? So I just looked up the story. I was wrong. One fourth? No, one HALF! http://wysu.org/content/npr/just-eat-it-filmmakers-feast-6-months-discarded-food
       So, what to do? According to filmmakers Jen Rustemeyer and Grant Baldwin who were interviewed for the article:

1. Buy less.
2. Be less choosy about the perfect apple.
3. Don’t worry about expiration dates. [They] don't really tell you anything about whether food is safe. http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/12/26/167819082/dont-fear-that-expired-food
4. Eat leftovers.

       Harold drew a hungry moose and a deserving porcupine to help him clean up his leftover pies. I invited a couple of friends, who are deserving, but not, thank goodness, hungry.
       My husband, two daughters, their husbands, my five grandchildren and a couple of friends will make sure that five deserving, but not hungry, cats will have some leftover turkey.
Happy Thanksgiving!

                                                                   --stay curious