I Spent a Week Rescuing Food From the Trash. Here's What I Ate. - The New York Times

I Spent a Week Rescuing Food From the Trash. Here’s What I Ate. - The New York Times

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I Spent a Week Rescuing Food From the Trash. Here’s What I Ate.

A climate-conscious reporter tried an app that connects eaters and surplus restaurant food. She got bargains, no booze and some pleasant surprises.

Food waste and I have a history.

One childhood memory, from the family table in Mumbai, still plays on a loop in my mind: “Don’t waste your food,” my mother would admonish daily. “Too many starving children everywhere,” my father would chime in.

Decades later, now living in New York City, I still can’t toss those leftovers. At least not like some of my friends do, with cool nonchalance, or like restaurants and shops regularly do when they’ve prepared too much.

So, I decided to try Too Good To Go, one of several apps that connect eaters with unsold restaurant food. It claims to have 12,000 businesses, like restaurants and markets, that offer surplus meals, often discounted, to about seven million users worldwide.

The goal is to save money, anxiety and some greenhouse gases. Worldwide, discarded food accounts for 8 to 10 percent of planet-warming emissions. That’s because rotting food produces heat-trapping methane gas.

Here’s what I got during my weeklong experiment, all around Manhattan, trying to keep some of those meals out of the bin.

Sunday, Jan. 28

• Two one-quart containers of soup: Chicken and rice and a creamy tomato

• Potato chips

• One focaccia sandwich with mozzarella, tomato and sautéed mushrooms

• One croissant

Total spent: $11

Most meals on the app are sold as “surprise bags,” usually at the end of the day, and you often have no idea what you’ll get. That makes the experience something like gambling. And it can be strangely addictive like gambling. For me, at least.

This first day’s haul came from Remedy Diner in the morning and Rent Money Lounge in the afternoon, both on the Lower East Side.

Monday, Jan. 29

• A croissant

• A blueberry muffin

• A slice of gluten-free banana bread

• Two six-packs of frozen Chinese buns: One with sour cabbage and tofu, the other plain cabbage

• One block of spiced dry tofu

• One bag of frozen, vegan tuna made from non-GMO soybeans

• A tuna salad wrap sandwich

• Six ham and cheese finger sandwiches

• A big slice of chocolate cake and six cannoli pastries

Total spent: $17

On this day, I made three stops: A cafe chain called Bluestone Lane, Lily’s Vegan Pantry in Chinatown and Gourmet Garage in the West Village.

It was a huge load of food for that much money. The vegan snacks from Lily’s, like the buns and tuna, were a deliciously pleasant surprise. The Gourmet Garage bag, on the other hand, left me underwhelmed. How about some fresh produce, guys? Still, I made out like a bandit.

Wednesday, Jan. 31

• A dozen assorted bagels

• Chicken and vegetable curry with basmati rice

Total spent: $11

The Indian food was good. Not quite the spice level that works for me, but it had a home-cooked feel. Two stops, at Grabstein’s Bagels and Madam Ji, in Lower Manhattan.

Thursday, Feb. 1

• A quart of mushroom broth soup

• Three nut butter snack bars

• Nitro Cold Brew coffee (7 ounce can)

• One rehab shot (a spicy drink with ginger, lemon and cayenne in 2.5-fluid ounce bottle)

• Beetroot hummus and sunflower seeds

• Lemonade (8 ounces)

• A bag of pita bread and tortillas

Total spent: $16

Two evening stops, in Chinatown and Chelsea. One of them, a place called Milk & Hops, popped up when I searched for “alcohol” just to see if that was an option. According to a note on the app, the surprise bag “will sometimes include alcohol.” My surprise did not.

Friday, Feb. 2

• Rice, lamb shawarma, hummus, salad and hot sauce.

Total spent: $6

A huge portion, and full of flavor, from a 4 p.m. pickup at a Middle Eastern place in the East Village called Zaad. The sauce was something like harissa, not blisteringly spicy. A delicious bargain.

Saturday, Feb. 3

• About two pounds of New Brunswick halibut, from the sides and collar of the fish.

Total spent: $4

At this price, maybe the best deal of the week, from Aqua Best Seafood Market on the Lower East Side.

These parts of the fish are not only packed with flavor, but they have a higher fat content than the filet, so they don’t dry out when cooked. Yet, most restaurants discard these pieces because they have a lot of bones. Lucky me.

The Verdict

My biggest gripe? The containers. Lots and lots of plastic.

Overall, though, it was a fun, affordable culinary tour of Manhattan. That the app seems to offer more carb options than anything else might give pause to some. But, the company is growing rapidly and more diverse food places are constantly popping up.

Also worth noting: Since I averaged about five miles a day walking to and from food pickups, it’s possible that I offset all those white, starchy carbs this week.

I’m holding on to that thought as I walk by the scale, pretending it’s not there.

James Estrin is a staff photographer who also writes frequently. He has worked for The Times since 1992 and was part of a team that won a 2001 Pulitzer Prize for “How Race Is Lived In America.” More about James Estrin

Eating and Cooking Choices That Help the Planet

The food we consume is responsible for considerable amounts of panet-warming greenhouse gases. Luckily, there are ways to minimize that effect.
Start by analyzing the extent to which your eating habits contribute to climate change.
Take our quiz to figure it out.
Next,
expand your knowledge on the subject.
Consider phasing out that gas stove and switching to induction cooking, which
is less polluting and better for your health. Wirecutter can help you choose the right model for you.
Sign up for one of the many apps that allow customers to
buy leftover food from restaurants and grocery stores at reduced prices.
Try climate-friendly ingredients like
kelp(and even bugs), a plant-based diet and cuisines that are gentler on the planet.
Embrace this simple truth: You don’t need to become vegan to
reduce your meat and dairy intake.
Once you are done feasting, don’t forget about what’s left behind. These tips will help you reduce food waste and
repurpose leftovers creatively.