A hip and trendy new restaurant in New York City has the rich folks all excited. The restaurant, called wastED, serves the things that most people throw out.
And I’m not completely sure how I feel about this. There’s an absolutely staggering amount of food wasted in the United States, but this is a rather extreme, artsy take on the problem.
First, the thrifty side of me rejoices in thinking of ways to use up every last bit of food. I always cook down carcasses to make broth, in lean times, had a freezer bucket full of odd bits of leftovers for some future soup, and last year made candy out of peach peels. The idea of a fancy-dancy chef doing the same thing and calling it gourmet makes me feel a bit less like an oddball.
But on the other hand, is this just a statement about the impending financial doom we’re heading towards? Can we look forward to rummaging through the trash to find our food, or trying to make dressing-soaked salad ingredients palatable the next day?