Premeditated leftovers

I have recently started to use a smaller plate. Well, not always, but I IMAGINE that my plate is smaller because I have read that this will encourage me to eat less. That sounds good to me, not only because then I will hopefully lose that holiday-5, but also because as a rule I think Americans eat too much (No kidding, Dawn). I know this is not a revolutionary idea that we eat too much. But I am now seeing it as a bigger part of the “too-much” issue in the United States, and it stinks of selfishness. If you are eating too much, then someone else is not eating enough. It's that simple.

I find myself wishing for a magical food-chute that will deliver my leftovers to Cambodia. Or Pakistan. Or Waterbury, the city that falls within 6 miles of my home. People need what I throw out. And so, I was thinking: what if, instead of having food leftovers on my plate, doomed for the garbage (in lieu of the fact that there is no mystical leftover food delivery system), I just bought too much and didn't cook or eat too much? In addition to tightening up my grocery list, which I have been doing many years now, I am proposing a premeditated, uncooked, nonperishable leftover to be delivered to a food pantry EVERY WEEK. Not just at Thanksgiving, even though that is a nice gesture. It's just not enough.

Now, in all fairness I have to tell you that I have not yet started this venture mainly because I thought of it on Sunday and grocery shopping occurs on Saturday in my house (yup, we are THAT rigid). But I am committed to this, and I start this week. On Saturday, of course. I challenge you to join me. If not every week, then as much as you are able to. I have a true belief that this can be done and that leftovers can feed more than a rotten garbage bag, if they are premeditated.

To find a food bank near you go to: http://feedingamerica.org/foodbank-results.aspx.