What (if anything) do you do to make a difference?

[Farm Boy]

Challenge accepted.

 

[Live trash can]

my girlfriend and I founded a non-profit organization. we cater events with vegan food. almost all of our raw ingredients we get for free, they're "saved" (as in foodsharing, not as in "containering") from local farmers, supermarkets and so on. stuff that would have otherwise been thrown away. our food is handed out against a donation (pay-what-you-want!). with those donations we keep the organization rolling and help refugees all over europe (another ngo does this directly).

we have successfully had like 40+ events catered, made a few thousand euros, cooked for 400+ people at a time and have up to 25 members now. sadly with us moving and all we will probably have to call it quits, no one is ready to take over and commit his/her time to this cause. still, I had a great time

furthermore I try to mostly buy organic and local produce, eat less meat, I don't have a car and use public transport exclusively, I forced my parents to donate to greenpeace for more than a decade (because muh whales!) and kinda support our local greens.

That makes me want to eat vegan food. I would love to be a vegan but I think it is too difficult in my country and especially when you are on your own as I am. It's more expensive too even though meat substitutes should be cheaper to produce!

I don't binge eat anymore though. Just eat the meat I think is necessary for me.

 

[AmazonQueen]

That makes me want to eat vegan food. I would love to be a vegan but I think it is too difficult in my country and especially when you are on your own as I am. It's more expensive too even though meat substitutes should be cheaper to produce!

I don't binge eat anymore though. Just eat the meat I think is necessary for me.

I haven't managed to go vegan but giving up meat and fish was good for me because the choice of quick meals etc for vegetarians is so poor that I was forced to take up cooking properly.
Fresh produce tends to taste better and theres no additives. It isn't cheap but nor is meat unless you're buying low quality.

 

[Live trash can]

Fresh produce tends to taste better and theres no additives. It isn't cheap but nor is meat unless you're buying low quality.

Just imagine eating fresh produce several times a day!

I suppose in some Asian countries this might happen, but their diet might be a bit monotonous and therefore lacking in nutrition.

 

[AmazonQueen]

Just imagine eating fresh produce several times a day!

I suppose in some Asian countries this might happen, but their diet might be a bit monotonous and therefore lacking in nutrition.

Probably why Asian cooking often uses more spices than Western.
Lentils, chickpeas, most beans are all good for protein. So is dairy.
If you don't want to go fully vegetarian or vegan you could try eating more fish.

I grow some of my own veg but most comes from the market.

 

[civvver]

Idk, I eat a lot of red meat, crank my ac to 65 in the summer, drive an suv to work, have 2 kids, throw away food containers instead of recycling cus I don't want to rinse them to recycle, use paper towels, shop at walmart and don't donate to any charities. I'm probably making the world a worse place in most people's eyes. Typical american.

On the plus side, I don't leave lights on or waste water, I'm raising my kids to be educated contributors to the economy, I'm a huge consumer and driving force behind the economy, and I'm generally nice to people. Me and my family are accepting of everyone. And I pay taxes. Lots of taxes.

 

[Zkribbler]

Idk, I eat a lot of red meat...

Watch you cholesterol level.

 

[yung.carl.jung]

That makes me want to eat vegan food. I would love to be a vegan but I think it is too difficult in my country and especially when you are on your own as I am. It's more expensive too even though meat substitutes should be cheaper to produce!

I don't binge eat anymore though. Just eat the meat I think is necessary for me.

vegan is without a doubt the cheapest way to sustain yourself. there are infinite varieties of very satiating, very cheap dishes and they usually revolve around what produce is cheap in your country. rice, potatoes, lentils, chickpeas, onions, carrots, cabbage, couscous, bulgur, myriads of beans, all are very filling and without a doubt cheaper than meat. they are carbohydrate laden and also contain a decent amount of protein and fiber so if you add some fruit you'll be good to go.

I personally do not live vegan and don't plan to. I've made it my quest to try everything that's edible and I just feel no need to arbitrarily constain myself in my cooking. eating less meat is already helpful, buying local is, too, as is buying organic. we get very tied up in labels and needless discussion, when it really doesn't matter whether or not honey should be considered vegan. the important thing is and has always been to try to eat consciously. whether it's about health or the environment or animal suffering.

And I pay taxes. Lots of taxes.

yes, the drone strikes have been very impressive! sorry, this was a dark 1

I suppose in some Asian countries this might happen, but their diet might be a bit monotonous and therefore lacking in nutrition.

I really hope you're trolling, you couldn't be more wrong..

 

[Live trash can]

I really hope you're trolling, you couldn't be more wrong..

What I was thinking about was the poorest people.

I have an image of the poorest eating just casava or mostly white rice.

The casava thing is from Africa though. I don't know.

 

[yung.carl.jung]

the difference in diet between a poor indian and a poor chinese is infinitely bigger than the difference in diet between the average euro and the average american. asia has without a doubt the most broad, most distinct cuisines in the entire world and there is absolutely no way to generalize that. china, a single country, probably has as many distinct styles as all of central Europe.

thought, in this I am sure, the average diet of a poor Japanese or Indian person is way more nutritious than the average diet of a poor first wolder. if by "nutritious" you mean rich in energy/calories (fat, sugar, carbs) then yeah, western diet is way more nutritious than any other diet on the planet

your image of the poorest eating "just" rice isn't that wrong however, in many asian countries you'd eat white rice three times a day. though it is always eaten with vegetables (and often with meat) side dishes, so that is not necessarily unhealthy. eating nothing but rice definitely is

not all asian diets are healthy though. Chinese eat a lot of fatty food with bad oils and carcinogens. filipinos have lots of fast food (influenced in part of course by the US). modern korean food is often deep fried or has lots of unneeded cheese or grease. many of the junk food products like instant noodles, sweets, chips.. are popular in asian countries and definitely unhealthy. there is just no way to generalize

 

[Live trash can]

not all asian diets are healthy though. Chinese eat a lot of fatty food with bad oils and carcinogens. filipinos have lots of fast food (influenced in part of course by the US). modern korean food is often deep fried or has lots of unneeded cheese or grease. many of the junk food products like instant noodles, sweets, chips.. are popular in asian countries and definitely unhealthy. there is just no way to generalize

It's almost like there is a conspiracy for people to eat unhealthy!

 

[yung.carl.jung]

havent read it yet, but seems relevant

 

[Live trash can]

"Get the humans!" (irony)

I am all for such literature as long as there is some optimism also in it! Some theories are just sad...

 

[Hrothbern]

What I was thinking about was the poorest people.

I have an image of the poorest eating just casava or mostly white rice.

The casava thing is from Africa though. I don't know.

Also Latin America.
Cassava is great food.
Buy the thickest one you can get. Peel them, cut them through in 7-8 cm lenght, split them lenghtwise in finger food size, remove the threadiest part of the core. You get mostly 3-sided prisma's.
Boil them for 10-15 minute to get them a bit more starchy, dry them a bit and fry in oil or butter till nice brown. Don't pile them on each other. Every piece its own room. Every side of the prisma getting its turn.
Eat them like french fries, with some salt etc.
Lovely tasty fingerfood.

Here how it looks

 

[civvver]

Watch you cholesterol level.

I thought that was old science. All the new studies seem to indicate the cholesterol level in your food doesn't matter. Eating fiber and exercise does, and maintaining healthy weight.

Found one link.

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_r...cle_4987ca54-6b24-5209-adde-bd93570a403b.html

 

[yung.carl.jung]

I thought that was old science. All the new studies seem to indicate the cholesterol level in your food doesn't matter. Eating fiber and exercise does, and maintaining healthy weight.

Found one link.

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_r...cle_4987ca54-6b24-5209-adde-bd93570a403b.html

"it doesn't matter" is not exactly true, but the importance of dietary cholesterol was wayyy overblown for decades until scientists figured out that it's actually the cholesterol in your blood that matters most.

bacon (any cured meat) is not problematic because of its cholesterol, but because of the nitrite and nitrate that industrial processors use, which makes it one of the most carcinogenic food items on earth

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/01/bacon-cancer-processed-meats-nitrates-nitrites-sausages

ut learning that consumption of processed meat causes an additional 34,000 worldwide cancer deaths a year is much more chilling. According to Cancer Research UK, if no one ate processed or red meat in Britain, there would be 8,800 fewer cases of cancer. (That is four times the number of people killed annually on Britain’s roads.)

woops

anyway this all wouldn't be that big of an issue if bacon was made the way it's supposed to be made - by curing it in nothing but salt. but that takes a long time and makes less money you could theoretically make your bacon at home, and while it's not "healthy", it's not nearly as bad as industrially produced bacon

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Hi everyone, as is often discussed and debated on this forum, there is a lot of ugliness that goes on in the world, whether it's Synagogue shootings, Rohingya genocide, systematic child abuse in Nauru, Catholic Church cover-ups, the destruction of our environment for profit, and on and on. It's overwhelming to think about, which is why many people (though not you esteemed Off-Topicer's) don't and instead we mostly distract ourselves with entertainment media and of course the daily struggles of our own everyday lives. What I am wondering is, what can we really do about it? And I'm not asking rhetorically - for someone (of normal means like most of us here) who wants to contribute a little more on this planet than just consuming and being entertained and providing for themselves and their family, what can they actually do? What actually helps? Is donating to charities worth it? I know places like Charity Intelligence provides some good insight on how far your dollar goes with some organizations, but I would love to hear your thoughts on the value they provide. And finally, to help give me some ideas of how I can start leading a less selfish life, if you would like I would love to hear some of what you guys do to make that tiny bit of difference we can. I'm trying not to let cynicism turn me into a misanthrope!

I think I've lived somewhat selfishly. I do not regularly donate to charity nor do I canvas for any causes. I do regularly vote to raise my own taxes and support a strong social safety net for the entire country, not just 'my side'. It's easy to get mad that my taxes disproportionately go back to the Federal government rather than come back to me through services. Every paycheck some portion of my money goes to build roads and schools in rural Mississippi even though they're representatives voted to remove tax breaks in my state while simultanesouly blocking pretty much every initiative I want the federal government to undertake.

And I'm fine with that. It sucks, but ultimately those people are worse off than I am and I want to help through my tax dollars. It's a better use for my tax dollars than building bombs (and probably rockets and satellites if I'm completely honest) at any rate.

Oooh one time though I totally saved a town from burning down. I drove down the main street of tiny Milstadt, Illinois on a blistering summer day when I spotted a small fire at the base of a tree along the road. I pulled over and knocked on a door and asked the homeowner for a bucket of water to put it out.

You're welcome, Milstadt. I should send the town a postcard with instructions on where I want them to install the statue.

 

[Phrossack]

Oooh one time though I totally saved a town from burning down. I drove down the main street of tiny Milstadt, Illinois on a blistering summer day when I spotted a small fire at the base of a tree along the road. I pulled over and knocked on a door and asked the homeowner for a bucket of water to put it out.

You're welcome, Milstadt. I should send the town a postcard with instructions on where I want them to install the statue.

That's your good deed for that month. Good work!

 

[HoloDoc]

@hobbsyoyo: I'm sure the town knows exactly where to stick your statue.

 

[civvver]

"it doesn't matter" is not exactly true, but the importance of dietary cholesterol was wayyy overblown for decades until scientists figured out that it's actually the cholesterol in your blood that matters most.

bacon (any cured meat) is not problematic because of its cholesterol, but because of the nitrite and nitrate that industrial processors use, which makes it one of the most carcinogenic food items on earth

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/01/bacon-cancer-processed-meats-nitrates-nitrites-sausages



woops

anyway this all wouldn't be that big of an issue if bacon was made the way it's supposed to be made - by curing it in nothing but salt. but that takes a long time and makes less money you could theoretically make your bacon at home, and while it's not "healthy", it's not nearly as bad as industrially produced bacon

Who said red meat had to be cured? Steaks, hamburgers, roasts all nitrate free. I don't eat a lot of processed meat like bacon or lunch meat, not cus of a health thing but just cus my family doesn't like lunch meat very much and bacon is messy to cook. We eat a lot of meatballs with pasta, grilled burgers, kebabs, stir fry and tacos. I know some people claim that grilling or cooking over high heat any red meat increases carcinogens but I think that's kind of dubious as well.