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Published: September 19th 2007
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...and waiting for a pair of fresh hands and sharp eyes. The bell is ringing. It's dinner time. Hunger is a necessary experience of travel (and life, I suppose), and when on a budget, there is very little fear of hunger. It is commonplace in a strange land, on a strange form of transportation that might last for days, and often it is satisfied only sparingly when on that well-known budget. But, the local markets do provide wonderfully, as with the vendors along the streets and the friendly strangers who invite you in to quench your thirst, and hopefully (cross your fingers), feed you. Yet there is never a guarantee, and to eat is a necessity. So whip out your wallet of traveler’s checks and foreign currencies and start paying. Or… put it away and enjoy the feast. Let me tell you something: it comes free in many more ways than one.
Taking The Dive The smell might turn many off from the start, but that’s okay: more for you. Unfortunately, there is a limit in this field. One could even call it a sport. Olympic diving is a sport. Yes, as is swimming. This method of diving and swimming however, does not require water. And its’ only purpose is food: to satiate that shrinking belly of
Score
No... I wish. Unfortunately, this one was still in its' display window. But I can dream. yours while the traveling road surges forward. So you dive, and you dive deep, and often you come up with more than one meal. In fact, the smart diver can feed a whole family for several days. Are you ready my fellow travelers? Are you ready to go dumpster diving?
I have found it to be an artform. There is a method to come away clean, smelling fresh and carrying a bagful of healthy, wholesome, satiating rations. But let me first lay down the definition of dumpster diving.
Dumpster diving is just that. It is to take the plunge into a dumpster in search of practically anything. But today we focus on foodstuffs, because we’re travelers and we’re hungry travelers. Within a dumpster, food easily makes up over 50% of the waste. Everyone must eat, therefore a diver can never be letdown. And with food, there is a certain identification tag that works to benefit all: the expiration date.
Most people in society today live by this expiration date. Their ablutophobia prohibits them from eating a morsel of bread with a speck of mold or a plump pear with an inch of bruising. This
Local Treasures
Whether in a dumpster or found within the local's heart, free food always tastes better, especially freshly dried figs in Greece's Pelopennese. works to our advantage, that is, if our fear is minimal.
The Art of a Full Grocer’s Bag Dumpsters are full of provisions with passed expiration dates, everything from breads to jars of jams and sauces to fruits and vegetables and boxes of snacks. People throw their things away carelessly to make room for the new. And the adage—
One’s waste is another’s treasure—applies well in this particular circumstance. To sum up, dumpster diving is the art of claiming others’ waste, and free food can become an easy source of protein.
Like I said, it is an artform, and to make it an artform there must be a few rules and techniques. The following will help one become a seasoned dumpster diver and benefit from a society obsessed with creating waste:
1. Scout out your dumpster. It is quite risky to immediately walk up to a dumpster’s plank and dive in. Many times there are cameras posted on surveillance, or hazardous wastes nearby, therefore causing the goods inside to be potentially unhealthy. (Once outside Marks & Spencer in the UK, a security guard caught a friend and me. We played dump, told him we were making
Dime for a Dozen
Looking across a field of food... and cash. Sometimes it's off-limits depending upon the budget. If this is the case, time to go diving. a project to reveal how much edible food is disgracefully thrown away. He smiled and told us to leave).
2. Go for large supermarkets. They stick to a strict code of tossing food that has passed its’ expiration date. Also, the bakeries inside will often deposit their day-old breads. (At a Tescos in Nottingham, England my backpack was filled with loaves of sandwich and Irish soda bread.
3. Once the dumpster has been scouted, return to it at an appropriate hour when traffic is at a minimum. Walk up to the dumpster with confidence; do not portraying any suspicions. But quickly, forge and collect what you can. Also, carrying a grocer’s bag from the market can help conceal your actions.
4. Then, with a full bag is full move out quickly. Back home, check the provisions over and wash carefully. Here is where you can discard any products you feel are not edible. In the end, it is under your discretion of what to eat and what to toss.
Also, it is good to note whether or not any other divers are at the dumpster. For example, if a community of homeless resides near a source, be respectful and leave it to them.
These are the foundations of dumpster diving, or reaping off what other people call waste when in actuality it can be spared and used as necessary fuel. Treat it as an artform and you will soon find yourself with a free meal, and not to forget, an intriguing way of discovering how to travel, eat and live on a budget. Put your wallets away, save your traveler’s checks and foreign currencies, and take the dive.
This article was originally written for and published on Brave New Traveler.
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