The reality of the stranglehold supermarkets have on us has really dawned on me over the last couple of days. After some encouraging trips to local shops over the weekend, the start of the working week has demonstrated to me just how difficult it is for most people to shop local. Even an early finish on Tuesday didn't help; endless efforts to sort out a computer problem with Dell's customer service brigade meant we missed all the butchers and greengrocers. We had to resort to the supermarket. Even so, we took along our plastic boxes, and after some quizical looks from the deli staff had our meat poked and prodded into place. I even indulged in some vegetable-from-plastic liberation at the checkout (well, not at the checkout, the attendant looked like she'd had a long day and had just endured someone complaining about the colour of their new uniform or something equally inane, so I politely popped the fennel packet on a neighbouring, empty checkout).
We managed to leave the place with very little plastic, and I'm currently halfway through producing some homemade ravioli, so no waste there! (apart from the fact there isn't really enough pasta and it keeps getting stuck to EVERYTHING and I just found out my girlfriend's dad doesn't like tomatoes).
Hopefully on Friday I'll be able to hit the shops again. But it's amazing how the convenience of the supermarket always seems to break down the most determined shopper. Being green isn't easy! (and neither's homemade pasta)
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Tracking the progress of Martin Mahony along the treacherous road to zero waste!
3 comments:
Martin, you've hit the nail on the head with this - it's all about convenience - this is what bulks up the plastic in our lives.
My husband takes the other stance and asks me to 'take time to care.' Keeping that mantra in my mind really helps to make more conscious choices.
Well done for leaving the packaging though; I've done it a couple of times, but find it nerve wracking!
Enjoy your dinner :)
Mrs G
Home made pasta is very impressive! I made sausage and mash followed by some home baked cookies for my tea last night - all waste free! Are you finding being waste free any cheaper than a normal week?
Interesting question! I think meat has certainly proved more expensive - I spent a fiver on ten loose sausages, which is a little more than you would expect to pay for packaged ones (although they were better quality). Otherwise though I don't think it's made much of a difference, although some of our meal ingredients have come from the garden, which is a luxury not everyone has at the moment!
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