The Pinch
I went out to a happy hour at a local wine bar after work today. We drank a couple of glasses of wine, but mostly chugged on water and split some snacks. We’re all feeling the inflation pinch (and for me it’s worse thanks to the house-buying nonsense that may not even come to pass) but you can’t just not see people. This wine bar is usually full to bursting, but there was a surprising amount of breathing space in there tonight. Was it that it’s the summer and people were down at the beach before the season ends? Is it that other places have opened recently on that street? Or is it the economy? Is it people have less money to spend?
I was perusing the Economist before hitting the sack tonight. I got this nugget off of it:
At least in rich countries, the rise in the price of food (and the share of the family budget it absorbs) has to be kept in perspective. Some 50 years ago, about 30% of household income in Britain went on food; now it is half that. Shoppers of an earlier generation would be startled to learn that Britons bin a third of the food they buy, and Americans not much less. In rich countries, there has been a spurt of interest in using leftovers, but so far this is a middle-class fad; whether ordinary folk will follow is still uncertain.
A third??? Not only is that a shocking statistic, it’s disgusting. Is it that people just buy too much at once or is it, appallingly, that rich, spoiled, selfish bastards are too good to eat leftovers? Or are people just too stupid to budget food? Not budget FOR food, but budget food and use up what will go bad first and then move on down.
Some nuggets:
- Milk is perfectly good even a few days after the expiry date. If uncomfortable with drinking it fresh, make a custard, damn you.
- Old bread makes great soups, puddings, and croutons. Get a French cookbook. Tip: Sourdough keeps longer without molding.
- Make leftover pasta into a frittata. Meds know how to reuse food. Get a cookbook.
- Mold on cheese will not kill you. Cut off the bad part and eat the rest.
- Clean out your fridge of leftovers at least twice a week. Leftover vegetables and meats make great pizza toppers… or soup. But pizza is way more fun.
- Buy less more often and learn to use your freezer.
- Cook down overripe fruit and make a dessert out of it.
Posted on August 22nd, 2008 under Food, News • 
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