Let’s get real. Those leftovers you took home from that restaurant, they’ve been sitting in the fridge for how long now? So long that if you’re honest with yourself, you’re a little bit afraid to see what’s on the inside of the to-go box? You’re not really going to be eating those, are you?
So then why shouldn’t some else have?
Replating. It’s a fairly new trend-to-be that my pastor spoke about at our college youth group last night. I think it’s a brilliant idea. Instead of bringing back leftovers that are only going to fester in some forgotten location in the fridge (or worse yet, under the passenger seat in your car), use something that won’t last, as my pastor put it, to do good that will.
Pasadena – Los Angeles in general, really – has a shockingly large homeless population. And it’s not the only city that does. While so many of us are able to forget about that doggy bag, there are too many people, frankly, who spend their time digging through restaurant dumpsters and scrounging around bus benches in hopes of finding the first meal they’ve had in a few days.
So why not make that easier for them?
Replating. It’s simple. Instead of merely toting around a box of jumbled seconds for a while until it reaches its final destination in the trashcan, diners nicely situate food in their to-go box (they replate it) and leave it visibly on top of a nearby dumpster, next to a trashcan, under a park or bus bench – basically, some place where a hungry but empty-pocketed person might be searching for a meal. Food doesn’t go to waste, one less stomach grumbles, and your fridge doesn’t smell like yesterday’s Chinese.
Vegan food in particular can be bulkier than non-vegan food – and so more likely to result in leftovers. Vegan community, I challenge you to try replating along with me at least once this month. Don’t just let your potential for good go to rot.
lifeasacollegevegan 