I said, “No fast food through the end of the year.” Why? Mostly because of the wastefulness of it. The amount of disposable plastics, paper and styrofoam bothers me. We do fast food places out of convenience. I just wanted to see how badly I needed fast food in my life. My kids have missed it a little bit, but not much. I also miss it on occasion, but not too much either.
I had to work today, and right after work, I had to bring a main dish to a potluck lunch. I went to Cane’s Chicken. It’s clearly a fast food place, complete with a drive-thru and lots of paper waste. I bought in bulk, only buying the tailgate 25 piece pack. Now I could have stopped at Kroger and picked up some chicken that was already prepared. It would also be in disposable containers, although I could have placed it in a reusable bag. So my big questions is…
Is it any different buying prepackaged (prepared) food at the grocery store versus a fast food place?
I have to answer, “No.” I will still continue my no fast food places, but I need to add on these simple shopping changes.
- Compare. If the paper waste is the thing that’s bothering me, whether I shop at the grocery store or anywhere else, I need to consider the waste involved. Just because I buy it at the grocery store doesn’t mean that I’m not being wasteful.
- Call it what it is. The grocery store has fast food. It’s in the form of deli sandwiches, sushi, fountain drinks and many other forms. If I buy a ham sandwich already made at Tom Thumb, that’s the same as buying a burger from a fast food place. Same container, same pre-made food, same waste amount.
- Plan. I should have done a better job planning ahead for my potluck meal. I could have made something the night before and picked it up on the way over there. My bad.
There’s a new container-less grocery store opening this fall in Austin, TX called in.gredients… if they meet their fundraising goals. I love this idea!! Listen to the radio talk about it. This is such a cool concept! See how it works.
This is greatness. Maybe I should help them get rolling in Austin, then I’ll open one here. Check out the in.gredients website.