Cruising and wastefulness (food). Are you mindful of wasting food?

[pyrrhus]

This is kind of a spinoff from the bacon rationing thread re: people who pile heaps of bacon on their plates to the chagrin of some of the cruisers in that thread.

 

It made me wonder if you try to prevent excessive leftovers on your plate of it's something you don't even think about it because you feel as though you paid for it.

 

Just curious.

 

I waste a ton of food, but only because I eat too much.... Not throw too much away :)

[paperracer]

I am the official leftover eater for my family. No food goes to waste in my house so I always clean my plate ( and maybe a few others).

[cruisecritiquer]

Every single morsel is thrown out at the end of each cruise. The orders are formulaic and based on the numbers of cruises and number of days. whatever is not eaten is ground up and a lot of it is used to feed ocean creatures.

 

The do not save supplies from one week to the next.

 

I know that logistically this would probably be a nightmare but wouldn't be nice if they could donate foodstuff (the unprepared meals if there are leftover ingredients to food kitchens/homeless shelters in the area).

 

I am a member of the clean plate club but as I've gotten older I've learned to make sure to put only what I can eat on my plate an return for more if I am so inclined. I also do not eat food I do not like and there has been more than one dessert that looks fabulous but once I tried it...it tasted like green nickelodeon slime looks.

[ldlewis45]

I know that logistically this would probably be a nightmare but wouldn't be nice if they could donate foodstuff (the unprepared meals if there are leftover ingredients to food kitchens/homeless shelters in the area).

 

I am a member of the clean plate club but as I've gotten older I've learned to make sure to put only what I can eat on my plate an return for more if I am so inclined. I also do not eat food I do not like and there has been more than one dessert that looks fabulous but once I tried it...it tasted like green nickelodeon slime looks.

 

They can't, legally. Once the stuff leaves the United States, it becomes international garbage and must be disposed of when the ship docks. (I'm an agriculture specialist with Customs and Border Protection.)

[cruisecritiquer]

They can't, legally. Once the stuff leaves the United States, it becomes international garbage and must be disposed of when the ship docks. (I'm an agriculture specialist with Customs and Border Protection.)

 

That's understandable. I'm familiar with the restrictions having been raised in California where virtually nothing from out of state can be brought in.

 

I remember I went to Texas with my DH about 12 years ago. I was 6 months pregnant. In Arizona about a mile from the California Border there was a strawberry farm. I bought some (not even thinking) and when I got to the Boarder they were like ummm no. They said I'd have to leave the strawberries with them. There were two cartons of them. My husband looked at me and I looked at my husband. We parked. I got out of the car and sat on the trunk and ate two cartons of strawberries. Then they let me through. LOL

[kcwingwalker]

When it comes to food, I eat when I'm hungry and finish eating when I no longer feel hungry......not stuffed. So I don't take large portions, but might leave some on my plate.

 

I don't like waste either but my focus is energy. If it's winter you'll wear a sweater at my house and in the summer leave the AC alone and get used to it. Passengers on cruise ships don't seem concerned with energy and that's a shame. Turn off unnecessary lights when you leave and don't leave the AC on "freezing". Don't leave the water running as you decide to hang out on the balcony before you brush your teeth and no one needs to take a 30+ minute shower.

[Cherie319]

Gee Whiz, everyone is so worried about how much food they're eating at an all you can eat buffet?!? What the heck, try what you like, you're on a cruise. You'll be back on a diet in a week. I'm sick of salad! Please tell Mayor Bloomberg to stay away from my cruise! :cool:

 

 

Oh thank goodness a fellow NYer - I'm also tired of the food monitors - granted I try not to take more than I can eat - but sometimes the items I picked aren't what I thought they would be.

 

BTW if Mayor Bloomberg was on this trip forget about any beverage packages - so I plan to eat eat and eat! :D

[JuneauWhatIMean]

I waste a ton of food, but only because I eat too much.... Not throw too much away :)

 

This may very well be the funniest thing I have ever read on CC. :D

 

When DH and I sailed on Carnival Splendor last December we couldn't believe how atrocious the buffet food was. I sampled a lot of things and never felt bad about leaving entire plates of crop on the table. And things weren't much better in the MDR. Thanks to CC I knew to order fried chicken in the MDR and ordered extra to take back to the cabin for hunger pangs or breakfast.

Juss sayin.........:eek:

[Beaver1975]

That's understandable. I'm familiar with the restrictions having been raised in California where virtually nothing from out of state can be brought in.

 

I remember I went to Texas with my DH about 12 years ago. I was 6 months pregnant. In Arizona about a mile from the California Border there was a strawberry farm. I bought some (not even thinking) and when I got to the Boarder they were like ummm no. They said I'd have to leave the strawberries with them. There were two cartons of them. My husband looked at me and I looked at my husband. We parked. I got out of the car and sat on the trunk and ate two cartons of strawberries. Then they let me through. LOL

 

Border control between Arizona and California? You're kidding, right?

[cruisecritiquer]

Border control between Arizona and California? You're kidding, right?

 

Nope, I'm not kidding.

 

They aren't called the border control per se. It is an Agricultural Inspection Station. Essentially it's the border patrol checkpoint for wayward fruits and vegetables. :D

 

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/pe/ExteriorExclusion/borders_faq.html

 

California produces the majority of the nation's lettuce, strawberries, and other crops so they are very strict on letting vegetation across their state lines that might introduce pests.

 

Youtube of the station:

[gra2172]

I am from the school of "take all you can eat, but eat all you take."

 

I only take small portions at a time. Sometimes Ill come back with just one of an item on my plate! :eek:

What If I dont like something and took a heap of it? Then Ive wasted it, and if someone else does like it, then they might not get it. if I do like it, I can go and get it again.

[HokiePoq]

Yes, it bugs me, too. Better to take a very small portion of something you are not sure about than load up and waste it.

A lot of waste runs up costs for everyone.

[gooch47]

Our problem isn't the buffet, it is the dining rooms. I don't eat potatoes much and my DH won't touch vegetables. I don't know why, but I never thought to ask if they could be omitted on the plates. Would that work? I do usually give the potatoes to him and I sometimes take part of his vegetables. But not always and I do feel bad about the waste.

 

It is amazing that they have to dispose of the food they haven't used. Even the frozen stuff?

[Warm Breezes]

This is kind of a spinoff from the bacon rationing thread re: people who pile heaps of bacon on their plates to the chagrin of some of the cruisers in that thread.

 

It made me wonder if you try to prevent excessive leftovers on your plate of it's something you don't even think about it because you feel as though you paid for it.

 

Just curious.

 

I found myself wasting a lot of food both in the buffet and in MDR last week on our Freedom cruise. It wasn't because I put too much on my plate. It was because DD gave me her cold and while the food looked good, once I got a taste of what I put on my plate, my appetite was gone. That's one way to cruise and lose weight :o.

[OceanDreaming2]

Our problem isn't the buffet, it is the dining rooms. I don't eat potatoes much and my DH won't touch vegetables. I don't know why, but I never thought to ask if they could be omitted on the plates. Would that work? I do usually give the potatoes to him and I sometimes take part of his vegetables. But not always and I do feel bad about the waste.

 

It is amazing that they have to dispose of the food they haven't used. Even the frozen stuff?

 

Yes, you can ask them to plate up your meals specifically for you. Sometimes I'll ask if they have other veggies available, or maybe a baked potato instead of mashed. All they can say is no and that's never happened to me.

 

And if your plate is made up especially for you, it just may be a little warmer than those that were plated much earlier in the day. ;)

[tempura]

I don't really understand the concept of forcing a child to sit and eat, regardless of whether or not they're hungry, until their plate is clean. When you're not hungry, you should stop eating. It seems to me that the "clean plate club" just sets the kid up for trouble later in life when they're unable to register whether or not they're actually hungry and think that whatever was put on their plate is an appropriate portion, even if it's a side of beef and a mountain of fried potatoes.

[Warm Breezes]

I don't really understand the concept of forcing a child to sit and eat, regardless of whether or not they're hungry, until their plate is clean. When you're not hungry, you should stop eating. It seems to me that the "clean plate club" just sets the kid up for trouble later in life when they're unable to register whether or not they're actually hungry and think that whatever was put on their plate is an appropriate portion, even if it's a side of beef and a mountain of fried potatoes.

 

I have to say I agree with this. I always made my children, when they were younger up to like 4-5, eat as many bites as their age to see if they liked it. But I never forced them to continue eating something they didn't like, nor did I ever force them to eat if they were full. I don't eat what I don't like and I don't continue to eat if I'm full and wouldn't force them to do it either.

[SuiteCruiser]

I don't really understand the concept of forcing a child to sit and eat, regardless of whether or not they're hungry, until their plate is clean. When you're not hungry, you should stop eating. It seems to me that the "clean plate club" just sets the kid up for trouble later in life when they're unable to register whether or not they're actually hungry and think that whatever was put on their plate is an appropriate portion, even if it's a side of beef and a mountain of fried potatoes.

 

Our rule is no dessert if you don't finish your dinner. If you're honestly full, you're too full for dessert, so just stop when you're full. It's easy.

 

The main thing is that some people let their kids have a bite of salad and after they make a fuss, will make them a peanut butter sandwich. Eventually you will be in a situation where you have to eat what is on your plate, better to learn early than being at an important business dinner and turning your nose up at brussell sprouts.

[cruisecritiquer]

I think most adults raising children realize this now. I think it was a generational thing. I certainly don't make my son clean his plate BUT because he has an aversion to vegetables and tends to be "full" by the time he comes to them, I frequently require that he eat them FIRST and then he can move to the other things on his plate. After he gets used to eating them without much fuss, hopefully we can move past that. :)

[KeithJenner]

better to learn early than being at an important business dinner and turning your nose up at brussell sprouts.

 

I'm in my forties and it doesn't matter how important the business dinner is, I'm not putting a Brussell Sprout in my mouth.

 

I'm not a particularly fussy eater, and eat lots of things I don't particularly like in such situations, but I draw the line some way before Sprouts. I prefer my food to be edible.

[jamessemaj]

I'm in my forties and it doesn't matter how important the business dinner is, I'm not putting a Brussell Sprout in my mouth.

 

I'm not a particularly fussy eater, and eat lots of things I don't particularly like in such situations, but I draw the line some way before Sprouts. I prefer my food to be edible.

 

Same with me. There are few foods I reject, but Brussell Sprouts are one, calf liver and most organ meats are another. I suppose at some point of starvation I would relent, but that point hasn't come close yet.

 

Back to the original question, I am always aware of waste and don't do it on a cruise either, even knowing that the cruise line plans for it and will throw out what isn't wasted by passengers.

[Medtech2]

This is kind of a spinoff from the bacon rationing thread re: people who pile heaps of bacon on their plates to the chagrin of some of the cruisers in that thread.

 

It made me wonder if you try to prevent excessive leftovers on your plate of it's something you don't even think about it because you feel as though you paid for it.

 

Just curious.

I was brought up not to be wasteful. Waste = Money...

 

I recycle, I am mindful of waste at home, work AND vacation. You are either cognizant of waste or not.

 

At any buffet I take one bite or piece of an item knowing if I like it and am still hungry I can always go back.

 

However, on the flip side the guilt I was subjected to as a child to finish my plate even when I didn't fix it led to lifelong weight problems so I taught my children to stop eating when they are full, no matter what. But I always had them fix their own plates.

[ja_martin]

This is kind of a spinoff from the bacon rationing thread re: people who pile heaps of bacon on their plates to the chagrin of some of the cruisers in that thread.

 

It made me wonder if you try to prevent excessive leftovers on your plate of it's something you don't even think about it because you feel as though you paid for it.

 

Just curious.

 

I try not to waste food in my every day life and that carries over to cruising. I hate to see waste. It drives up prices. Plus, it's done in the faces of many workers who have given up so much (their children and other family) to work on a ship so that they can provide for their family. It's a hard job and one most Americans won't do. We should be respectful of others while still enjoying our vacations.

[F27TW]

Omg my mother in law does that! It always grosses me out to see pastry and tapioca pudding squeezed next to, and touching, the baked ziti.

 

My partner does it too (I still swear JUST to bug me !) .. . He had shrimp in the shell and cocktail sauce on the same plate as a piece of cheesecake and a cookie last time! Gahhhhh!

 

The ones who I can't stand, though, are the ones who fill their plate and don't even bother to go and sit down .. they just stand and eat right in the buffet area !! :mad::rolleyes:

[SuiteCruiser]

My partner does it too (I still swear JUST to bug me !) .. . He had shrimp in the shell and cocktail sauce on the same plate as a piece of cheesecake and a cookie last time! Gahhhhh!

 

The ones who I can't stand, though, are the ones who fill their plate and don't even bother to go and sit down .. they just stand and eat right in the buffet area !! :mad::rolleyes:

 

That's a pet peeve of mine too. Why do some people feel they need to eat while they are in line or on their way to their chair?