Common sense in Polish tradition and hospitality

In our Polish tradition, unfortunately, it is already established that the festive table must burst at the seams, and guests can not leave the table with even the smallest free space in their stomach … However, this time we won’t be talking about the consequences of overeating. This time we will delve into another topic, namely food waste!

Easter is coming, but this year’s holidays will be a little different … Probably many families are asking themselves how many people will meet at the festive table. We’ll probably have far fewer guests this Easter. However, will Polish housewives consider the lower demand for Christmas dishes? Can we adjust the amount of a given dish to the number of people who will eat it? Can we adjust the number of different dishes to the number of people at the table? Do we really have to make literally every dish that is on the list of traditional Easter dishes?

Let’s think together what happens just after Easter, when there is no one else to eat festive delicacies, when eating the same dishes the next day is just too much, when after a few days of feasting the stomach says “Enough!”. The question “what to do about it now?” Vegetable salad with mayonnaise has been standing for several days, herrings in cream are already several days old, the Easter cake has already dried up, the huge supply of sausage has not been needed…

What is the end of festive food?! In the rubbish bin… Well! The simplest, fastest solution is the rubbish bin, where the leftovers and sometimes almost untouched Easter dishes land. Unfortunately, this is a common problem. According to statistics, every year Poles throw out more and more food. In our country, we throw away 9 million tons of food every year. The most daily losses are recorded among products such as bread, fruit and sausages.

I agree – the rubbish bin is the easiest solution to excess food in our fridge. However, if you know Just Health, you probably already know that Just Health specialists do not propose the simplest solutions. Because the simplest solutions usually do not lead to progress, do not give results, do not ensure health, do not care about others – this is only a temporary closing of the eyes to the problem. And the problem is still there!

LET’S NOT  LEAD TO THE PROBLEM OF WASTE FOOD AND THE DILEMMA OF WHAT TO DO WITH FOOD

Plan your festivities

Consider how many people you will host this Easter – remember, it can be much less people than usual. Think about whether these are people who eat a lot or rather little. Think about whether someone in the family has recently gone a diet.

Plan festive dishes

You already know how many people you will be celebrating Easter with. Now think about what to prepare and in what quantities. Remember that you really don’t have to make all the traditional dishes. If there will be much less of you this Easter, I am sure everyone will understand the slightly reduced menu. A very common mistake is to assume that every person at the table will eat every dish. This is not the case! Especially if there are several dishes on the table (hopefully not a dozen or so: P), everyone will try the ones they like the most, but they will certainly not eat the full portion of each dish.

Plan your purchases

You already know “what”, “how much” and “for whom” you will be preparing Easter. Now is the time to plan your purchases. Make a list of ingredients and products. Immediately write down the quantities you need. Make sure you know what you may already have at home, so there’s no need to buy another portion (e.g. flour, which usually hides somewhere in our kitchen cabinets). Plan your festive shopping day early enough to go to the shops calmly, stress-free – without time pressure, but also close enough to Easter so that fresh products can survive not only holidays, but also a moment after.

WHAT IF SOMETHING HAS GONE WRONG WITH PLANNING? WHAT IF FOOD STILL LAYS AROUND IN OUR REFRIGERATOR AFTER EASTER?

We know, we will not turn back time … we will not return this one ham, which has not found a place on the plate of any of the guests. We will not give up eggs that we have already stuffed. However, there is another option – this one is much, much better than throwing away and wasting products and dishes. You can give them a second life! For several years, in many cities in Poland, thanks to volunteers, it has been possible to donate excess food to be used by other people. There are really more and more initiatives that offer various types of anti-food waste solutions. For example, in Szczecin, we have the Let us Share (Podzielmy się) foundation, which can even pick up food directly from your home. Just sign up! There is also the Jadłodzielnia, which works not only during the week. Jadłodzielnia volunteers are also involved in various types of events, e.g. at the Szczecin Gourmet Market on Sunday (10am – 3pm, OFF MARINA 18 Chmielewskiego Street). Foodsharing is a great initiative that is really worth supporting!