Ishtar Darlington
Food
I’ll start this by saying I’m a massive foodie and, when I’m travelling, it’s really important to me that I eat well. If my belly is empty for too long I turn into a seriously hangry hobo and can’t enjoy myself at all. Luckily enough, it’s not difficult to eat cheap, or even free, while you’re on the road.
Dumpster diving: I can hear some of you retching at the thought of this already and, I’ll admit, I had some serious reservations about this when I first heard of it as well. I was introduced to the idea while staying in an ashram in Denmark where they fed 20-30 people DAILY on dumpster diving alone. You’d be amazed at the amount of fresh, perfectly edible produce shops throw away! Now, before you go ploughing through the supermarket skip, it’s important to remember a couple of things. Well packaged food is the stuff to go for – not lone carrots floating around in a sea of gunk. Thankfully, most supermarket’s produce is so tightly wrapped in plastic that it has never breathed a whiff of dumpster air. Despite this, no matter how well packaged it is, wash the food, and wash it well before you cook and eat it. Also, on a practical note, wear rubber gloves while doing your diving and, maybe, hold your breath 😉
Reduced to clear: If wading around in a skip of yesterday’s leftovers isn’t quite your idea of a relaxing break away then think about heading into the supermarket rather than to the alley behind it. Most stores now have a pretty sizable ‘reduced to clear’ section with food close to their sell-by dates at a fraction of their normal price. These products will usually be good for a few days after purchase but be sure to give them a quick sniff test before tucking in.
Local initiatives: The internet is a wonderful thing and you really do have the world at your fingertips. Have a search online for local initiatives and you’re bound to come up with something. The worldwide Food not Bombs movement (the one in York, UK pictured above) provide simple, free meals to the public every week and The Real Junk Food project run Pay As You Feel cafes all across Europe. Krishna devotees celebrate a Sunday feast together in their temples where anyone is invited to come along and enjoy the free food, music and philosophical discussions.
