Freegans... - Page 2

Tam Li Hua · 08-02-2010, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by honeythorn

The people who do it often just use areas of waste overgrown ground between factory units and so on.

O____o

I'm baffled as to how veggies grown in such an environment is supposed to be healthier than ones I buy in the grocery store...

Saya · 08-02-2010, 12:12 PM

Well the ones in the store are covered in pesticides anyway :P A friend of mine grew rhubarb in the alley way behind her house, she lived. And I doubt she even heard of freeganism, she just had the idea to use that space for something.

I'm a much bigger fan of guerrilla and urban gardening than dumpster diving anyway XD

Tam Li Hua · 08-02-2010, 12:21 PM

Saya: Not to be snarky, but isn't that why it's generally advised to wash one's fruits and veggies before one consumes them?

Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying having a plant in your backyard is a bad idea. I think it's lovely. But the idea of eating veggies that were grown next to any kind of factory....eh, that's right up there with the flies at the farmer's market for me.

Saya · 08-02-2010, 12:33 PM

Yeah but fruits and veggies absorb the pesticides, so washing it doesn't do anything. There's twelve fruits and veggies in particular that are bad for that, I can get a list of them if you want, if you buy those organic you decrease your pesticide exposure by like 80%.

Not all factories are all smokestacks and industrial waste, though. There's a Pepsi factory here and I wouldn't be able to tell you it was a factory at all by looking at it.

Tam Li Hua · 08-02-2010, 12:39 PM

Nah, that's okay; I've lived with the pesticide-infused veggies and fruit all of my nearly 32 years, and it hasn't damaged anything yet. =) [This is in addition to the list of reasons I posted earlier.]

If someone said, "Here, try this tomato I grew next to the Pepsi factory!", I'd try it out of curiosity, but I'd still feel weird about it.

It's one thing to have a peach tree in your grassy, suburban backyard. It's another for a tomato plant to be grown in a small patch next to a factory. [At least for me.]

honeythorn · 08-02-2010, 01:13 PM

No, not factories of the sort that spew out fumes and oil and all that, just basic warehouse units on industrial estates. These may be different over here to where you are though, I work on one, the place is clean and well kept, but between the units there are often areas of unused ground that's merely overgrown with long grass and birch trees and so on.

There's a patch of perfect ground opposite our back gate at work about 40 foot long and 20 across. Nothing wrong with it and could easily grow a fair bit of stuff , not that I'd bother myself as we have a big allotment ,but you see the point ...

ape descendant · 08-02-2010, 02:04 PM

And push-come-shove, there's container gardening...

Fruitbat · 08-02-2010, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tam Li Hua

Fruitbat: I'm well aware of the farmer's market; they're all over the place down here in the South, right down to the dude selling watermelons out of his pick-up. And I've heard that about how it's supposed to be better for you, but thus far I haven't seen how; I don't feel better or worse from eating a peach from the farmer's market than from the grocery store.

The reasons I don't go more often are

1. They are usually held outside, and right now it's getting over 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside, and I like shopping inside with the air conditioning;

2. This is the time of year when flies are covering the fruits and veggies, and that's just a huge turn-off to me;

3. I really don't feel that the farmers who harvest the veggies at farmer's markets work any more or less hard than the farmers who work for the supermarket.

Like I said, if others want to go that direction, then more power to them. But it's just not my thing. I am a consumer whore, and I'm perfectly fine with that. ^_^

I'm not sure how it works in the states, but here (australia) there are a lot of woeful tales of shipments of vegetables going 'missing/spoilt', so the farmers don't get paid and the middlemen/end sellers make pure profit.

In a standard chain you might pay say $5 for a kg/lb of apples. The middle man might get say $3 of that, and the grower might see $2 (if they are lucky). At farmer's markets you pay the whole $5 to the grower and they can use that money to do ecological improvements (plant trees, restore wildlife corridors et al) on their property.

Nothing worse than shopping in the heat. I like the atmosphere of the farmer's markets, but then that's my thing.

ape descendant · 08-02-2010, 03:36 PM

I'm rather fond of farmers markets myself... not only is there yummy produce and lots of money for farmers.. but there's belly dancers too!! Well... there are at the one's I've been to.

Tam Li Hua · 08-02-2010, 03:49 PM

If the heat wasn't so suffocating, I'd consider it more.

There are no belly dancers at the farmer's markets here. Mostly, it's just the produce, and a few creepy people selling it.

vindicatedxjin · 08-02-2010, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tam Li Hua

If the heat wasn't so suffocating

Here in Texas I am DYINGGGGGGGGGG

Fruitbat · 08-02-2010, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vindicatedxjin

Here in Texas I am DYINGGGGGGGGGG

I'm just taking off my jumper at 37.

vindicatedxjin · 08-02-2010, 05:25 PM

Pardon me...cannot compute?

Fruitbat · 08-02-2010, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vindicatedxjin

Pardon me...cannot compute?

37 degrees C = 100 degrees F.

I googled the conversion.

vindicatedxjin · 08-02-2010, 05:31 PM

Oh okay lol. I had no idea what you we're talking about...

Saya · 08-02-2010, 06:07 PM

Americans and your Fahrenheit.

I really hate our farmer's market. Its sketchy as hell, the vegetables aren't organic or anything, and they taste really funny. I think there's only one organic farm around St.John's at all and I have no idea where they sell their produce, I see it in the grocery store sometimes but never at a market.

Also, people here fish far more than farm (traditionally we've always relied on imports, trading fish for other foods) so if you go, chances are you're going to get a very angry lobster shoved into your face. Or you can go to the one thats around the dairy farms....where everything smells like shit.

vindicatedxjin · 08-02-2010, 06:14 PM

I love the farmers market here in Dallas... they always cut you off fruit to try... and it's always so freaking sweet. There's a taco stand right next to the market so it's always fun to eat tacos than walk to the stands for dessert...and spend all your money on peaches and watermelon.

Saya · 08-02-2010, 06:21 PM

ENVY. I can't complain too much though, my roommate's parents live out in a rural town and have a huge garden, and they give us free food when everything is ripe. I can't wait for October so I can get another pumpkin from them. For pie and seed purposes, I mean.

vindicatedxjin · 08-02-2010, 06:31 PM

^^ Homegrown food is the best. My mom gardens and has a few fruit trees. She just made some peach jelly and it's so good, on my trip to Louisiana a few weeks ago, my aunt made mayhaw jelly. I never knew wtf a mayhaw was...but if you ever get the chance to try the jelly on a biscuit or a waffle...you must do so, because it's to diiiee for. I love how they can stuff... I should ask my mom to teach me...

LenorePoe · 08-03-2010, 10:52 AM

Its just incredibly gross to me. Digging in the trash... mooching... yeah, where's
the dignity?

LenorePoe · 08-03-2010, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Underwater Ophelia

The problem I have with "freegans" is that they actually believe that because they're eating food out of a dumpster, they're more interesting or revolutionary people.

It's not good or bad, it's pretty much just eating out of a dumpster.

agreed. I can just picture some hippie popping his head up out of a dumpster with a deer in the headlights look when people walk by.

KontanKarite · 08-03-2010, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LenorePoe

Its just incredibly gross to me. Digging in the trash... mooching... yeah, where's
the dignity?

How is it mooching when no one is going to eat it anyway?

d0p3y · 08-03-2010, 11:16 AM

so i told my girl that i did some research on it (btw thanks for the link to the FNB website saya) and told her where the FNB met and she seemed not be interested in the idea anymore :/.

Alan · 08-03-2010, 11:26 AM

Woah woah woah. She was interested in dumpster diving but when you offered such a huge support that you introduce her to Food Not Bombs, THAT'S when she's not interested anymore?!

Dude, fuck her! First literally, then metaphorically.

Despanan · 08-03-2010, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by d0p3y

so i told my girl that i did some research on it (btw thanks for the link to the FNB website saya) and told her where the FNB met and she seemed not be interested in the idea anymore :/.

What? Someone more interested in freeganism as a lifestyle rather than a means of community outreach?

SAY IT AIN'T SO.