« And While We're Having This Hop Down Memory Lane... | Main | Just Because You Don't Like It, It Doesn't Make It a Disorder »
September 28, 2007
Waste Not!
Yesterday we had a pre-meeting at noon before negotiations in Scranton started at 1, so there wasn't a logical time for lunch. Edward called me while I was driving up and asked me to ask Lisa (interesting how we always very carefully honor the chain of command: I am Lisa's boss, so he doesn't direct her, he asks me to call her.) to pick up "a vegetable tray, some hummus, a fruit tray, and other healthy snacks) for the twenty-five people on the committee. She did so, but the store had no veggie tray, so she got chips and crackers and hummus instead. I decided not to take any chances so I ate my South Beach Diet emergency backup bar that I've been keeping in my purse for just such an occasion. Then I sat in traffic in construction for so long that I got really thirsty and just drank the eight oz of milk that MR had packed me to mix with my whey protein later.
When I got to the meeting, there was another group having a luncheon across the hall. Their food smelled really good.
Then they left.
Then we took a break, right before management was going to come in to start the negotiations.
Then Edward said to me, as we were standing in the doorway, "Look in the next room. There's free vegetables."
So I did, and sure enough, the other party was gone, and left HUGE amounts of leftovers on the buffet. Tons of steamed veggies, salad veggies too, pasta, chicken, beef, enough for twenty.
I got a small plate of steamed veggies and ate it, keeping a lookout for hotel staff who might disapprove of me eating the leftovers from the other group.
Then Edward made an announcement to the entire committee: "There's free food in the next room, go for it!"
Twenty hungry nurses filed into the other conference room and raided the buffet.
It's sad to think of how much hotel and restaurant food goes to waste every day. It was good to see the leftovers find a good home for once.
I have a meeting at 11 up here, then I'm heading back home for what I hope will be a quiet weekend at home. I feel like cooking, and cuddling, and even a bit like cleaning.
And this weekend, I finally get to decorate for Halloween!
Posted by april at September 28, 2007 6:32 AM
Comments
You might pass on to your staff that even if a grocery store has no prepared veggie trays, they all now have bags of baby carrots, cut up fresh veggie mixes often labelled "stir fry", asparagus, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets and mushrooms. All you need then is a single serving of plain yogurt and a small jar of salsa and VOILA! "Instant" veggie tray. If you have no big tray in the office, the grocery stores always have plastic ones. JD :-) (P.S. How come nobody knows this stuff?? It's so simple, so ...... basic.... so..... thrifty! No rocket science required!)
Posted by: Judith at September 28, 2007 9:48 AM
You the queen of vegetable tray raids:)
I remember you and a friend of yours raiding a veggie plate from another meeting in the past as well, am I correct?ı think it's hilarious and fun!
And you are absolutely right. I hate it when anything goes to waste, especially sexy veggies.
Posted by: zeynepella at September 28, 2007 3:05 PM
HALLOWEEN!
Can't wait!
Posted by: Robin at September 28, 2007 4:47 PM
April,
I enjoy reading your blog and have 2 requests I was hoping you could address as I would like to start a CRON diet but am struggling to stick to it. 1) For some easy items (i.e. nuts or veggies), is there anyway for you to provide a count or another way of measuring aside from gweight. I travel a lot and do not have have an opportunity to weight items so it is hard for me to gauge quantity
2) Can you provide tips on how to fight cravings or the typical impulse to eat when stressed? (I work in front of a computer and very long 13+ hours/day)
Thanks!
Posted by: Cronawannabe at October 2, 2007 5:56 PM
don't worry too much about the buffet food that 'goes to waste' in hotels, in my experience a lot of time excess food (as long as its still in a good condition) gets sent to the staff lunch room
at the hotel i used to work at we had a staff room with a subsidised hot lunch/dinner and sandwich bar provided for $2.50 (though, sometimes i used to doubt the nutritional value by the time we got the steamed veges - being kept warm in bain maries tended to overcook them!)
Posted by: colleen at October 23, 2007 2:53 AM