Taste before you waste meets Truefoodsblog –  “Help us to fight against food waste”

Taste Before You Waste – Our food system is currently failing. We live in a world where 40 % of food produced is being wasted, while many are starving. A wasteful food system is not only socially unacceptable but also environmental irresponsible!

Informational Figure by Luana

 

Last Wednesday I finally made it to Taste Before You Waste´s “Wasteless Wednesday” for the first time. Another Non-Profit Organization I am currently volunteering and writing for introduced me to the founder of TBYW : Luana, who is one of the most inspiring people I ever met. At the end of her Study she and some friends founded the Eco-Friendly Non-Profit Organization. The fact that Food waste in the Western World is not tolerable anymore gave her the inspiration to say:

“We make the first Step now”!

 

Lets come to the basics:

Taste Before You Waste is an initiative focused on the prevention of food waste that was founded in Amsterdam in November 2012. By picking up surplus food and using these goodies as inspiration and fuel for all their activities, ranging from Food Cycle Markets, Community Dinners and Educational Workshops to Event Caterings, Presentations and Donations to Charities they raise awareness. The enormous amount of food that is thrown away is next to educating people about what they can do to prevent this from happening, one of their biggest aims.

Truefoods goes “Taste Before You Waste”

In the early afternoon, I arrived at their place in Amsterdam. Luana’s mother, who is the head chef of this project concerning cooking, gave me a tour around and showed me the kitchen. With her South American cooking skills, she is capable of turning almost nothing into a great, tasty and with a love-filled meal. With her quirky manner in the kitchen and always a  “sporty” slogan on her lips I felt thrown right back into the days when I worked in the kitchen with a homogenous team. So – It took not long and some other volunteers entered the kitchen to help.

“The collection”

One of the organizers and me drove through Amsterdam to collect food leftovers from Organisations which are voluntarily donating their “waste” to TBYW. Back in the kitchen, we first had a brainstorm session about what we will cook. It is not like you can plan a menu for the around 60 guests which are expected every Wednesday – we create from what we get. Luana´s mother was happy with me as a second creative, former chef who could support her in designing a menu. I tried my best to create something out of the 6 different Vegetables we had collected. After a funny cooking session with loud music and some interesting conversation with other food-conscious people from different Universities in Amsterdam, it was time to be
“mise en place!”
18:30 the first guests came in. Luana and me in full professional kitchen mode, we made around 60 people happy with serving delicious “Waste Food” three-course Menu.
“I always had the feeling of being home “

” My Thoughts”

I felt guilty for all the waste people are making, for all the food the society is throwing away just because it doesn’t look so sexy. I hope that this organization will spread the word out, that many other people will follow and open their eyes. From now on they can count on me and I will help them whenever I can.
And I request all of you TASTE BEFORE YOU WASTE and be different than the rest of the society.
TBYW serves only Vegetarian or Vegan food, the menu is always a surprise and everyone is welcome to join the dinner for an optional donation (which is mostly between 5-10 €). You can find the link to their events on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/Taste-Before-You-Waste-230676047076966/

 

 

I thank Luana and her team for their friendly welcome and I am looking forward to a long lasting collaboration and for many more events together.
– Moritz
Here is also a link to where Luana is giving a TEDtalk about her Organization and the current food waste situation:
http://amsterdam.tastebeforeyouwaste.org/category/video/

 

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