Episode 149
[FOCUS] Sharing Leftovers Food Recipes
Episode Summary: In this excerpt from a previous episode on Foods and Food Waste, we delve into the staggering fact that over one billion tons of food is lost or wasted each year
While the food wasted in our homes is just a fraction of this total, it's crucial to recognize the impact of our individual actions.
In this conversation, Leekei, Katherine and Olabanji talked about the culture around food and leftovers, exchanged recipes and shared ideas on how food waste can be reduced at various levels of the production and consumption value chain
To listen to the full episode go here.
For more information on the project and to order your copy of the Carbon Almanac, visit thecarbonalmanac.org
Want to join in the conversation?
Visit thecarbonalmanac.org/podcasts and send us a voice message on this episode or any other climate-related ideas and perspectives.
Don’t Take Our Word For It, Look It Up!
You can find out more on page 201 of the Carbon Almanac and on the website you can tap the footnotes link and type in 031
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Featuring Carbon Almanac Contributors Leekei Tang, Katherine Palmer and Olabanji Stephen
Leekei is a fashion business founder, a business coach, an international development expert and podcaster from Paris, France.
From the great outdoors of Vancouver in Canada, Katherine is a Copywriter and Brand Designer for Small Eco-Businesses, an Aromatherapist, and Workshop Coordinator.
Olabanji is from Lagos Nigeria, he’s a Creative Director and visual designer that helps brands gain clarity, deliver meaningful experiences and build tribes through Design & Strategy. He founded Jorney - a community designed to help people stay productive, accountable, and do their best work
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The CarbonSessions Podcast is produced and edited by Leekei Tang, Steve Heatherington and Rob Slater.
Transcript
thoughtsonfood2-LEEKEI: We had a.
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:Long conversation with, um,
Cat and Mary Elizabeth about
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:actually all things foods related.
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:We were planning to have the
conversations on, uh, on sharing leftovers
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:recipes, but we didn't get there yet.
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:We had the very long conversation
on everything related to foods and
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:so yeah, we can, Yeah, it's, I think
it's a conversation on food and, uh,
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:thoughtsonfood2-KATHERINE:
I'd like to know culturally
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:in, in your both your cultures, is
food using leftovers a normal thing?
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:Is it something that you
just automatically do?
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:thoughtsonfood2-OLABANJI: um, I,
I would say, um, in, in Africa.
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:That's like you have to
manage what you have.
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:You know, It also kind of depends on
what level that you know you are in life.
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:That's the low class.
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:That's the middle class
and that's the high class.
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:Most people don't like to waste food
in Africa, whatever class that is,
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:Um, yeah, we just don't waste food.
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:Personally, I hate to waste
food, so, um, I'm known as
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:like the leftover guy at home.
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:Like when everybody eats the
leftovers, I go eat the leftovers.
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:Um, like when, when they eat and they
don't finish their food and they put
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:it in the fridge, um, I just make
it a point of duty to make sure that
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:hey, you have leftovers in the fridge.
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:Just before you go make another
food , just go finish that first.
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:Yeah.
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:And, but when we were younger,
my Momo, she taught us to
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:like, Hey, finish your food.
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:Like when you have food, finish it.
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:, don't waste your food.
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:And , there was always food as
well, regardless of what's at home.
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:, They make it into some food to eat.
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:So I don't think I'm used to
like the leftover culture at all.
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:Yeah.
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:And I don't see it around much often.
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:Yeah.
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:thoughtsonfood2-LEEKEI: Yeah, actually I'm
very surprised by your question, Kathryn.
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:I'm just wondering if is there any culture
where people don't, um, eat leftovers?
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:Is that something that's even exists?
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:thoughtsonfood2-KATHERINE: Well, a lot of
people I know throw their leftovers away.
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:My brother-in-law
refuses to eat leftovers.
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:He just, it's gross to him.
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:It's gross to have food sitting
in the fridge for the next day
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:thoughtsonfood2-LEEKEI: but it has been
sitting in the fridge the day before.
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:So what's the problem?
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:thoughtsonfood2-KATHERINE:
In a different form.
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:It was in it's raw form, and then it gets
cooked, and then the next day it's no good
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:thoughtsonfood2-OLABANJI: Oh yeah.
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:thoughtsonfood2-KATHERINE: An another
strange thing is people will put food in
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:their plate and then instead of boxing
up, what's it goes in the garbage.
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:What?
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:Like scraped into the garbage?
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:What's left on the plate?
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:If they don't finish at all,
it's, it's quite common here.
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:thoughtsonfood2-LEEKEI: I mean, you put
it so much , in the plate, in first place.
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:thoughtsonfood2-KATHERINE: You'd think so.
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:thoughtsonfood2-OLABANJI: Yeah.
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:Um, I, I remember when I was younger, when
I'm very hungry, my mom is going to put
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:the food that is the size of my stomach
right in the plate, but I'm so hungry.
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:I think I can eat more.
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:So I'm like, I'm hungry.
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:Put more.
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:And then she goes, . Oh, okay.
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:. So she puts more in the plate.
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:Um, but I eat the actual size
of my stomach and there's more
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:food in the plate, but I can't
take it back to the kitchen.
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:She's going to look at me like, Hey
dude, sit down there, and finish
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:the food . So I sit there and then
when my tummy gets full, I get, I get
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:slower with the food, but it taught.
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:to not overestimate what
I can finish, right?
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:So I'm like, like, are you not hungry?
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:Don't you want my like, No,
no, no, just give me that.
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:That's enough . , and, and I, I have a, I
had a senior friend, Well, I have a senior
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:friend who also doesn't eat leftovers.
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:, he thinks it's for the poor.
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:It, it feels like, right.
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:If you're not poor, why
are you eating leftovers?
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:Don't do that.
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:, and.
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:I think it's the idea, I think
not eating leftovers is probably
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:from the idea or like the mindset
that there will always be food.
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:So you don't have to conserve
food in any kind of way.
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:thoughtsonfood2-LEEKEI:
Does your brother in low?
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:Know that there is, uh,
environmental cost, very high
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:environmental cost, attached to food?
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:thoughtsonfood2-KATHERINE: Oh
yeah, we've had that conversation.
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:It just is, uh, there's such a mental
block about, Well, it's just he
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:can't get past the point of, this
is gross to eat this food that.
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:thoughtsonfood2-LEEKEI: But if you process
it like, you know, um, try another, recook
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:it with another recipe, would he eat it?
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:thoughtsonfood2-KATHERINE: I don't know.
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:His wife won't go there.
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:It's just that it's a, you know, I also
know that lots of people will get the,
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:or dish the food out for their children
and put way too much food on, and then
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:whatever's left goes into the garbage
because the child couldn't eat at all.
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:Like there's no sit there and finish it.
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:It's okay.
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:You couldn't eat that.
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:Well go do what you were gonna do, and.
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:We'll just throw this away.
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:So there's a mindset about it's
okay that this gets thrown away.
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:We understand that there's environmental
consequences, but it's not enough to
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:make us wanna change what we do, So we're
gonna just continue doing what we do.
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:there's definitely a wall there.
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:thoughtsonfood2-LEEKEI: Yeah,
that's why we need to exchange
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:our very delicious recipes.
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:thoughtsonfood2-KATHERINE: Yes.
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:Yes.
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:So what do you have?
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:I'm curious.
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:thoughtsonfood2-LEEKEI: Um, actually
I have got plenty of recipes and not
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:only related to my, uh, my cultures,
uh, but, um, I, you know, I have, uh,
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:some boiled potatoes in the fridge and
it's been sitting, There for a few days
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:and, um, I've been thinking of a recipe
that I'm going to cook tonight, which
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:is, um, you know, a Spanish tortilla.
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:Which is, um, , a kind of omelet
with potatoes and onions, and it's
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:really easy to make you just, get
an onion, just chop it in small
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:pieces and then, uh, you fry it.
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:With some salt and oil,
uh, , until it gets golden.
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:And then, , you chop your, , potatoes
into small pisses and you fry it.
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:And then, um, you make an omelet and then
you add it and you, so it's basically an
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:omelet with, uh, with potatoes and onion
and, um, and it's absolutely delicious.
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:you, can eat it.
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:Hot.
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:But, uh, in Spain it's part of the
tapas, you know, and, uh, you can eat
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:it, cold as well in the summer with,
yeah, tomato sauce or , or chili sauce.
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:It's delicious and it's a, I think
it's a great way to, to deal with
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:your boil potatoes, leftovers, because
it's not very good the next day.
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:I agree.
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:It's the taste is slightly changed,
but then is, is those the trick I.
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:thoughtsonfood2-OLABANJI:
Hmm, That's interesting.
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:thoughtsonfood2-LEEKEI: You've
never thought about that
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:thoughtsonfood2-KATHERINE: Yeah, Another,
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:thoughtsonfood2-LEEKEI: what?
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:So,
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:thoughtsonfood2-KATHERINE: another
thing you can do with leftover
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:potatoes is whip them up like in a
food processor or, and then add them
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:to soup, and it kind of makes the
consistency of the soup a bit thicker.
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:That's what we usually like any, when
we make a soup at any vegetable that's
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:cooked or raw that's left in the
fridge, just gets all thrown together
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:in the soup pot, cook it all day and.
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:Every week is something a little
different, cuz it all depends on what
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:food we had left over in the fridge.
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:That's, that's our usual
go too for leftovers.
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:It just all gets thrown together
in a super stew and you have
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:some pretty cool combos.
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:Sometimes it doesn't work out so well, but
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:thoughtsonfood2-LEEKEI: Yeah.
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:And the other day you were talking
about, I think a Chins the Italian
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:recipe of with leftover rice at
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:thoughtsonfood2-KATHERINE: Oh yeah.
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:thoughtsonfood2-LEEKEI: Yes.
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:So it's basically, uh,
leftover risottos, right?
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:I think it's, uh, it's
like a, I don't know.
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:I've never made these things, but,
uh, you add some cheeses on the
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:researcher and then you, you fry it.
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:Is that something?
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:thoughtsonfood2-KATHERINE: Well,
I kind of, uh, adapted it a bit.
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:I make little patties, so I add.
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:Usually some kind of a flower.
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:I usually use cassava flour and into
the risotto, and it makes it more,
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:it makes it stick together better.
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:And then I make them into little patties.
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:Put cheese on top, fry them.
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:Oh, they're so good.
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:thoughtsonfood2-OLABANJI:
Okay, you guys are
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:making me hungry now.
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:thoughtsonfood2-KATHERINE: Yeah, Yeah.
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:Risotto is one of those
foods that is awful.
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:The next day, if it's just eaten, like you
can't eat it cold, but even to reheat it.
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:Not as good, but frying it kind or frying
it makes it somehow taste a lot better.
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:So the Italians were onto something there.
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:thoughtsonfood2-OLABANJI: Yeah.
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:And, and I'm wondering what,
what do we tell people?
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:I mean, uh, a, a lot of people
that do I say do food waste as well,
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:are probably really busy people.
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:, and didn't have time to
think around these things.
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:Um, you know, probably working two
jobs or three in, in some cases,
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:or just really, you know, in that.
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:Face of their career where they're
very, very busy, they're awfully busy
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:and they can't think about like what's
wasting and not and what's not wasting.
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:Right?
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:How do we help them build a
level of consciousness to.
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:This are there, like what,
what story do we tell them?
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:I mean, there's the
climate change story here.
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:You know, it's there.
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:But do they care?
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:What?
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:What can we tell them to say, Hey,
this is one thing that you can do,
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:or one thing that you can like put
in place to help you curb food waste.
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:thoughtsonfood2-LEEKEI: I have an idea.
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:Uh, you mentioned that those people are
quite busy, but actually when you, uh,
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:You transform your, the leftovers into a
new recipe is actually time saving because
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:it's, uh, the, the food is already cooked.
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:If you are familiar with
this, , very popular dish, which
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:is, um, Cantonese Fried Rice,
um, , it's actually a way to acc.
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:Rice from the day before or two
days before that is not good as
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:Tim Rice, but it's already cooked,
so you're saving a lot of time.
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:I mean, this is what I think
would be the, the, the great, um,
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:input from eating leftover food.
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:thoughtsonfood2-OLABANJI:
Yeah, that, that sounds good.
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:thoughtsonfood2-KATHERINE: Maybe
part of it is organization because
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:they're such busy people, their brains
are full of work and family life.
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:And so having to organize so that they
think about what to do with that leftover.
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:Cuz I, I know even like if I didn't have
my soup go to it would be like, what do I
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:do with this pot full of, you know, stewed
tomatoes that I just have sitting here?
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:I have to think about it.
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:Well, I don't wanna think
about it, so I'm just gonna.
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:Grab the next easy thing.
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:If they
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:thoughtsonfood2-OLABANJI: hmm.
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:thoughtsonfood2-KATHERINE:
some kind of a cheat sheet or
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:a plan that they could go to.
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:thoughtsonfood2-OLABANJI: Yeah.
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:, sounds good.
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:Um, sounds really great.
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:Um, this is interesting.
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:Uh, I, I don't think, like, when people
think about climate change, food is
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:not the first thing that comes to mind.
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:Um, and it's actually good to have a
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:thoughtsonfood2-LEEKEI: A huge
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:thoughtsonfood2-OLABANJI: this.
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:Yeah.
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:thoughtsonfood2-LEEKEI:
huge contributor to
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:thoughtsonfood2-OLABANJI: A
very, very huge contributor.
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:Um, and, and it's, it's the honor.
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:Zoom mean one because, you
know, it's kinda like people.
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:You know, like, Hey, who, , who
did the, or who committed the
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:crime is, No, it's not this guy.
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:No, it's not food.
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:No, it's not this guy.
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:It's the plane . And that looks
obviously like the culprit there,
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:but food is sitting pretty, you know,
like, and issues around food and
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:well, like, does, does that really
contribute to, to climate change?
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:So, I mean, this is an
interesting conversation to have.
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:. I'm wondering like, if we dive deeper,
what, what areas of food do we also
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:need to look at besides food waste?
